Arsenal:Is Young Still an Excuse?

In the year 2004-2005,Arsenal had arguably one of the best moments in history.They were able to set a record of going for 49 games unbeaten.Thierry Henry was in the best form of his life,Robert Pires was a midfield maestro and Bergkamp would rip apart defences by some fluid brilliance.Together,they were the team to beat.They strolled to the Premiership crown without losing a game.It is a long time ago,even the names of some players back then remain blurry in our memories.Take Ray Parlour for instance.Remember him?

Since then,the Gunners have gone five seasons trophy-less. Except for the pre-season Emirates cup for those who care,the only other notable feat was the runners-up spot in the Champions league back in 2006. In as much as Chelsea's new-found wealth caught everyone by surprise,the Gunners have never recovered to find their glorious days back.But many believe that their manager Arsene Wenger is just not doing enough to find these glorious days back.

Its is so harsh that football history has little space for good style of play or 'sexy football' as it has been dubbed recently.People tend to remember great teams by the number of titles won rather than how.Many forget that Chelsea were a spot-kick away from European glory at Moscow in 2008 had it not been Terry's faltering in taking it.Barcelona had one of the best seasons ever last year,but how many people recall how Chelsea were robbed off the chance to be in final of the Champions league and instead Barcelona gifted the spot? It is football,sexy or not,it is what is in your cabinet that really counts.Playing good football should just be an extra component of the game, primary goal remains winning titles.That's  what is important at the end of the day. Greece won the Euro 2004 title in the most unfashionable style.They defended for long periods and relied on Carnegie's for their 1-0 wins.They were crowned Champions in the end,but many forget how.

You could argue that Arsenal needed time to rebuild after the old guards departed. After all the exit of Bergkamp,Viera,Campbell and later Henry meant a season or two would be necessary to bring in new players to cover up for them.But ever since,Arsenal has been a work-in-progress where failure is covered up by the now cliched 'we're building a new team.' excuse.As a unit Arsenal are a good side and play very well together but as always they lack the depth and experience to go all the way for Premiership and Champions League glory.They particularly have difficulty in dealing with sides with a more physical approach to the game, which has been a tactic many sides have been employing recently.

We all know the pressure that comes to managers once the owners have invested heavily in their clubs,taking Manchester City for instance.Good results are almost mandatory lest the managers are shown the door,like Mark Hughes was recently.Could it be the reason as to why Wenger steers away from signing established players just to avoid the high expectations that come with it? Reports indicated that there were funds available this January and I thought he would jump at this chance to bring in a seasoned player to the club,but he just couldn't. He'd rather nurture a 13 year old Nepalese wonder-kid often dubbed "the next Ronaldinho or Zidane" than bring in a tested big name.It works for him but many would agree that it's too slow because fans tend to get impatient,unless off course you are running a camp that grows and churns out talent for other clubs to benefit.

The Gunners are currently having a great run in the Premier league, although it is typical of them to be on top of the table during the first half of the season, only to stumble in the last half if history is anything to go by. They may have not taken full advantage of the recent Manchester United slump and injury woes but it is good that they are within touching distance with the leaders Chelsea. We only have to wait and see whether they can sustain the chase till the end of the season.