Arsenal the present

We lost the Carling Cup Final.

People around start mocking Arsenal once again. They say Arsenal is a team 6 years without trophy and will be without for a even longer time. Somebody in facebook compared Arsenal with the Hong Kong MPF, aiming at something can't really can get in near future. Well, every gooner should be get used to this kind of laugh in recent years. And as I recalled, people talked about quadruple just a week ago.

Is Arsenal never gonna win another trophy under the Arsene Wenger? Is Arsenal only capable to be better the year later? These are not indeed the center of the discussion.

People, even the fans, would question the philsophy of Arsenal. Selling the best players in the team to cash in. Brings the most talented youngsters to the first team, gain experienced and then sell for money again. I was one of them a few years ago. Especially when we reached only 4th rank for 2 years consecutively. "C"ashley Cole left the team since we moved to Emirates and he won 6 trophies since then. We won none.

Football is about winning trophies. This is the ultimate target for every football club in the world. It is so natural and understandable to measure the success of a club according to the number of trophies they won. However, to reach the target, there are many success factors. Man Utd become the best club in England because of Ferguson and Famous 1992 Academy. Chelsea is success not only because of Abramovich's money, but also Jose Mourinho.

To be honest, Arsenal had never as successful as these 2 clubs, even they had an invincible. Arsenal's success comes too short and too fast under Arsene Wenger. He start the so-called new philosophy all since the sale of Patrick Vieira and mature of Cesc Fabregas. The move to Emirates is something make the philosphy more solid. Being not unable to spend big, Arsenal put efforts on the worldwide scouting system. With the hot money making the transfer market too crazy, Arsenal do not have the money to spend big and can only spend smart. For example, Wenger admired Essien but failed to compete with Chelsea. On the other hand, some key players left the team bacause of other big club's interest (Henry, Hleb), money (Ashely Cole, Flamini) & getting older (Gilberto, Ljungberg, Pires, Vieira, Parlour). All these side issues make the rebuilding difficult for Wenger.

He can only rely on the young players who seems so talented at early ages. Young talented players are also cheap who fits the smart-spending phoilosophy. He bought Adebayor, Hleb, Eboue, Diaby, Walcott, Song and brings Denilson, Bendtner, Djourou to the first team.

Get ride of the difficult period, when Wenger has the ability to spend, however, he finds any big spending would ruin the progress of young players. The young system, both scouting and academy, at that time was already well built and has a inexpensive treasure for the club. He wants to protect it and so can only keep the team in similar style.

This year, Wenger rarely shouted to ask for his youngsters to deliver. He feels the transform was finished and it is time for the team to win something. With growth of Wilshere and Szczesny, the last puzzles of the team were collected. We have everything to win something this year. What we lack is just the start. Carling Cup is a easy step but we failed. It doesn;t matter because there are still 3 more chances coming.

Arsenal's failure hurts not only the fans, but also Wenger. He is more faithful to the team than any Gooners in the world because he is a god damn perfectionist. He doesn't like losing. As you can see on the pitch, his patience, like us, has gone.

Remark: A lovely article seen in the internet -
Arsenal’s Winning Mentality and the Invincible Season