For Arsenal FC, a club renowned for its off-field stability, the
past few months have been unusually turbulent. The departure of
vice-chairman David Dein in April was followed by the sale of star
striker Thierry Henry to FC Barcelona, and the ongoing struggle for
ownership of the club has been described as "disruptive and
destabilising" by chairman Peter Hill-Wood. And yet, despite the
gravity of those changes, the issue troubling Gunners fans most over
the summer was the future of one man and one man only: the manager
Arsčne Wenger.
Glittering homeArsenal
began their tenth consecutive UEFA Champions League campaign with a
thrilling 3-0 win against Sevilla FC on Wednesday, and the majority of
the 60,000 crowd present at the club's glittering new home were in no
doubt who has made such sustained success possible. Wenger has
transformed the north London outfit since his arrival in 1996,
overseeing the construction of a new training complex, revolutionising
methods, forging exciting, trophy-winning teams and instigating the
ambitious stadium move.
'New era'It is no
wonder alarm bells started ringing when the erstwhile Alsacian, whose
contract was due to expire next year, admitted to feeling unsettled by
Dein's departure. Yet after signing a three-year extension earlier this
month, the 57-year-old Frenchman claimed he had never doubted staying
on at "the club of my life". For Wenger, the idea of leaving having
moulded such an exciting young squad was unthinkable. Speaking to
uefa.com, Wenger said: "It is the start of a new era. It's a new team I
have constructed with my staff and it's a new adventure. What's more
it's a team I have great belief in and that is why I have signed a new
contract."
Collective styleArsenal have so
far justified that belief by surging to the top of the Premier League
after five games and appear to have adopted a more collective style.
While previously they relied heavily on the sublime talents of Henry,
others are now being urged to step forward. "We've lost a great player
so on an individual level we will miss something," Wenger conceded.
"But we're trying to compensate for that with the blossoming of our
young players, by greater use of initiative, by sharing responsibility
at the heart of the side which was sometimes a bit too concentrated on
one player from an attacking point of view. I hope this big loss will
be alleviated by the dividing up of tasks." <blockquote>
This is a side I have great pleasure working with. They have a degree of maturity which is incredibly rare for players so young
</blockquote>
'Precocious maturity'Henry
is not the only experienced international to quit Arsenal recently. In
July, Freddie Ljungberg became the latest member of the "invincible"
2003/04 team to leave, emulating the likes of Sol Campbell, Patrick
Vieira, Lauren, Ashley Cole, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Martin
Keown and Edu. Of the regulars, only Jens Lehmann, Kolo Touré and
Gilberto remain. The squad is now flushed with youth, but while critics
point to their inexperience, Wenger is convinced the third great
Arsenal side of his reign is about to be born. "A lack of experience
can always be a handicap although this squad already reached the
Champions League final two years ago," he pointed out. "I'm looking for
them to acquire a precocious maturity so that they handle the big
matches while being fully aware of their responsibilities. Since the
start of the season that's exactly what I've observed. This is a side I
have great pleasure working with. They have a degree of maturity which
is incredibly rare for players so young."
'Immense talent'One
player who epitomises Wenger's philosophy is Cesc Fabregas who has
already played over 100 league games and assumes a fundamental role in
the team despite being only 20. For fans of a certain age, the
Spaniard's vision is reminiscent of 1970s hero Liam Brady, while Wenger
could not avoid comparing his midfield general with Michel Platini this
week. But the former AS Monaco FC boss does not want Arsenal to become
too dependent on Fabregas, as they may have done with Henry. "I hope he
doesn't carry too much responsibility and continues to have this desire
within to keep improving and to become the best," Wenger said. "The
rest will come naturally because he has immense talent."
'Great pleasure'With
Fabregas pulling the strings, youngsters like Gaël Clichy, Abou Diaby
and Emmanuel Adebayor making giant strides, and more experienced men
such as Touré, Aleksandr Hleb, Tomáš Rosický and Robin van Persie now
fully established, Wenger may be close to finding the winning formula
again. And he hopes the one prize that has so far eluded him could
finally be within reach. "I'm looking forward to being involved in
matches at the highest level," he said of his latest Champions League
challenge. "It's exciting, something to look forward to, an adventure,
which can unfortunately often lead to disappointment because you can't
reach the final every year. But it's always a great, great pleasure."
So long as Wenger remains in the dugout, Arsenal fans will no doubt
agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment.©uefa.com 1998-2007. All rights reserved.
Thu Aug 30, 2007 11:51 am
