There is clearly something wrong with the Wenger method with regards to youth development. The Frenchman arrived at an Arsenal that had produced David Rocastle, Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Paul Merson, Michael Thomas and Kevin Campbell. All the aforementioned players became established first team regulars for the Gunners, having come through Arsenal’s youth system. Yet if you compare this to the starting line up of the Gunners’ final Premier League fixture of the 2010/11 season against Fulham, only Kieran Gibbs and Jack Wilshere can claim to have gone through the Arsenal youth system for a substantial period.
The praise Arsenal receive for such players as Cesc Fabregas is excessive. Wenger and his team do deserve credit for seeing something in the 16 year old Barcelona academy graduate, but Wenger merely polished a rough diamond. Fabregas was already a great prospect after the Spaniard’s training at La Masia. The crux of this debate is clearly very straightforward, unlike Man United, who produce players tirelessly and see them go on to find success; Arsenal merely take players, young players, who have had their footballing education and give them a platform to showcase their talents- Robin Van Persie comes to mind.
Football is a game graded on success, and since Arsene Wenger’s appointment in 1996, Arsenal’s Youth and Reserve teams have won a total of nine honours combined, whereas Manchester United have won 33 titles and various other accolades. These numbers tell the same story as at senior level. Arsenal play attractive football, but have a fairly empty trophy cabinet; perhaps the opposite could be said of the Red Devils, as they continue to defy the critics and win football’s major trophies. The bedrock of the teaching at Man United seems to instil a winning mentality, something Wenger just doesn’t understand how to do with his approach.
I may have been too harsh on Arsenal’s most successful manager, I mean, ultimately the players are in control of their own success on the pitch, whether they be up-and-coming stars or experienced footballers. At Manchester United, the influence of the experienced footballers upon the youngsters who have come through over the years has been huge, and why wouldn’t it be? Fraizer Campbell, Kieran Richardson et al would have grown up watching Ryan Giggs and co, true professionals playing at the highest level of football for their whole careers; who do Arsenal have? The Thierry Henrys, Patrick Vieiras and Tony Adams have come and gone, and since those Arsenal ‘legends’ have departed, the Gunners have lacked experience, they appear to be crying out for a talisman, someone who lives and breathes Arsenal in the same way John Terry does for Chelsea, Steven Gerrard does for Liverpool and Rio Ferdinand does for Man United. Ryo Miyaichi, Emmanuel Frimpong, Henri Lansbury and so many of the youngsters, who are coming through the ranks and hoping to break into Wenger’s first eleven won’t have that calm and assured head to ease the transition, instead they have fellow young professionals who are still finding their own way in the beautiful game.
Youth policy shapes an attitude, mentality and even a perception of a club, and the ultimate irony is that the football world’s ‘Young Guns’ perception of Arsenal is so clearly wide of the mark. What Arsenal actually need is some ‘Old Cannons’.
Written by Daniel Blazer for FootballFancast.com. Controversial opinion I know, so follow the link and get involved in the debate and have your say http://danieltblazer.com/2011/07/17/young-gunners-to-young-goners/
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You credit Fergie for Pique who was at UTD for two years tops, and play down Cesc’s development citing the Barca academy as the true source.
Pique and Cesc played in the same team at Barca and Cesc has been at Arsenal eight years. Cesc was made at Arsenal and Pique at Barca not Utd.
The next generation of Utd kids is Wellbeck and Gibson alone, Arsenal develope their players well enough to want to keep them.
This is just one example of pathetic biased view point you wrote this article from.
spot. on.
With the amount of money invest in players yet can almost generate net profit from trade market and maintain strong (even not no 1), who can tell Arsenal’s youth project is failed. If not because the success of youth project, with the amount of money invested in player, the team may be already down to lower bottom.
If Arsenal only polished the rough 16 year old diamond Fabregas how did Fergerson not simply do the same to Pique and Rossi or is there something that i am missing here.
You are quite clearly a Man U fan, state it at the start of the article so we can all read it with some perspective.
spot. on..
What a stupid article. So you mention frazier campbell and johnathon greening and a few others yet try and disgard fabrice muamba and bentley……how are they better? Well thats the last time i visit this website!
spot. on…
oh sorry not to mention pennant. spose you forgot seb larsson who is also at your forementioned sunderland, upson. I feel stupid for reacting to such an arguement twice! My bad
absloute manc garbage. regardless of some players, arsenal have just produced a player in jack wilshere who will become better than anything produced in this country for years. he is that good
niw this is REALLY spot. on.
“….However, what is now crystal clear is that Arsenal‘s youth set up has definitely failed.”
Would you care to list another academy, that has nurtured more talent in England in the last 5 years that can match this list in terms of player values (Talent value, not inflated prices we all know Henderson is not worth more than 3mil or Carroll 6mil) :
Wilshere
Ramsey
Gibbs
Eastmond
Szcz?sny
Lansbury
Frimpong
The list goes on….
What??? keep your day job homie, you are truly rubbish that’s if you are not a former NOTW reporter!!
Ok to be honest i am a arsenal fan but i was hoping to read this article to find someone who truly understands how wenger relies too much on the youths who lack in experience and end up bottling it in the clutches of glory. HOWEVER a biased stupid man u fan is what i get. Laughable that arsenal is second to barca? We did beat them in england, did man u do that? And arsenal has the best passing game in the premier league – that is not a biased fact, because of it we are considered weak (which is true to an extent). Our youths have been brilliant and they got us a chance to 4 trophies. Their fault was experience you dope.