Arsene Wenger: More faith in the system than the players

DISCLAIMER: The opinions in this article are solely the author’s and not those of Sportskeeda.

Ronaldo had experienced veterans to look after him.(Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images)

When Ryan Giggs scored his first goal for Manchester United against local rivals Manchester City in 1991, few would have thought that he would be playing, let alone scoring, for the Red Devils for more than two decades after that. Over in North London, Thierry Henry once harboured hopes of retiring at Arsenal. Not in his wildest imagination could he have foreseen playing for New York Red Bulls while his bronze statue adorned the new stadium, silently watching the last days of Wenger’s crumbling empire.

Approaching the age of 40, the veteran Welshman continues to chip in with valuable goals and assists to add to the intangible contributions that come with experience. A great deal of credit, of course, must go to the manager. Sir Alex has carefully nurtured his protege through the last decade, getting the best out of him on the pitch and, no doubt, in the dressing room. With the experience of himself and Paul Scholes in the squad, Sir Alex has not had any problems in moulding youngsters into players worthy of playing for Manchester United.

Arsenal too had their own long term stalwarts. Tony Adams won the English League in three decades (1989, 1998 and 2002). He was part of the impregnable defense built by George Graham. After his arrival in 1996, Arsene Wenger combined this solid English defense with a continental attacking signings and the result was a harmonious blend of style and steel. Wenger, however, made a crucial mistake that Ferguson did not. He put too much faith in his system instead of his players.

With the increased pace of the Premier League, Arsenal placed an emphasis on younger players who would naturally be faster. Under Wenger, Arsenal initiated the policy of offering only 1 year contracts to players above the age of 30. This draconian policy resulted in an exodus of experienced players like Robert Pires from the club. Thierry Henry, the heartbeat of Wenger’s Arsenal, tearfully moved on to Barcelona, partly driven by this lack of respect for seasoned veterans, something he will, in all likelihood, not admit in public. Other veterans like Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira also retired or moved on and by 2007, and Arsenal was a team of youngsters – talented no doubt – with no knowledge of how to win a trophy.

If only statues could talk. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

On the other hand, Sir Alex realized the importance of smooth transitions and every new team he built had the common guiding force of Giggs and Scholes behind it. Giggs turned 30 in 2003. Since then, he has won Four Premier League titles, one FA Cup, Three League Cups and a UEFA Champions League. If he was at Wenger’s Arsenal, he would have been sold at the age of 29 to avoid “losing him for free”.

By the time Wenger realized his folly, it was 2011. Arsenal had spectacularly crashed out of contention in four competitions in the preceding season and had the worst start to a Premier League season in their history. The resulting U-turn in the policy led to the purchase of the likes of Arteta and Mertesacker, who have done well but have no connection with the history of Arsenal.

The extended success of Chelsea‘s team, the core of which has more or less remained the same since the days of Claudio Ranieri, exemplify the importance of team continuity and the relative irrelevance of managerial stability. Have Arsenal learned their lesson? The long term contracts offered to its English youngsters seems to suggest so. But the true test will be the outcome of Bacary Sagna. Building statues is all very good, but unfortunately, statues don’t talk.