Gotta give them credit for learning from their mistakes though. That's the one thing no other Arsenal side has ever managed to do since. Like in 02/03 when Wenger talked about going invincble and they ended up bottling the leage run-in so badly, only to then actually pull off an invincible season the next year. Or when they got schooled by Inter in Champions League, took it on the chin, threw a few punches on the training ground, and then went down to San Siro and beat them as badly as they've ever been beaten at home in their entire club history. Or how they lost the FA Cup in 01 to two late Owen goals and then came back and not only won it in 2002 but went on to set the most FA Cups record.

If we had managed to keep the team together and maybe had a bit better luck with injuries they would probably have come back to win Champions League too after losing the final to Barca, or even pulled it off right away in 05/06.

I think that attitude comes from having a bit of arrogance about you as a team. In the league and cups we knew we were the best and we played like it. In Europe it was different, the arrogance wasn't there except in isolated bursts.

It's why I think compensating for a teams weaknesses is a losing strategy. You're automatically in a negative mindset. I reckon it's why Wenger lost some of his magic. He was constantly looking to ways to balance the team, playing the likes of Coq and Flamini in the same midfield, 5 at the back etc. Would have never happened under him in the earlier years, in the past if he wasn't winning he'd just throw on four strikers.

Invincibles played in a CL where patience was more of a virtue. Teams that made it to the late stages in the 2000s generally played a slower controlled game, often combined with tight defending. That arsenal team got outmaneuvered often by valencia, deportivo, and imo would've struggled with jose's porto, or ancelottis milan. Vieira also struggled with the midfield compositions in the CL, which were rarely 442. Then you add the well documented thin squad and tactical naivete, and its not surprising that team flattered to deceive

Even in the epl they used to struggle painfully with a lack of plan b. Bolton games were excruciating everytime.

We only started being better in UCL when we played 451. We were too open with our 442 and in those days the football level in Europe is much higher than England's gungho long ball direct approach. Even smaller teams like Deportivo or eastern european teams gave us plenty of problems.

5 days later

Why is an Arsene Wenger thread in the Other Football section?

For the same reason the "Former Arsenal players" thread is here.

I think Jazz has a point. Rabble like Hleb can have their news in this section, but anything related to people like Wenger and Henry belongs in Arsenal talk.

I don't care much either way, but to answer the question again, it's probably because there's a lot of people between Hleb and Wenger and it's easiest to draw the line at everyone. also, if Henry, say, is fired from the Montreal job it doesn't necessarily seem logical for it to be a topic in the Arsenal part of the forum, while if you want to talk about his past we have the Arsenal Reminisce thread.

5 days later

On waterstones there is a promotion now - today only I think, on Wenger's book - My Life in Red and White - that comes out in the fall, 20 pounds for pre order and get this, it comes signed by the man himself.

Thanks for the tip, genuinely can't wait to read this.

HomeSteak wrote:

On waterstones there is a promotion now - today only I think, on Wenger's book - My Life in Red and White - that comes out in the fall, 20 pounds for pre order and get this, it comes signed by the man himself.

Really hopeful this book will actually resolve the greatest mystery of our time—Park Chu-Young.

Thanks! I see that its 17 pounds now?

Edit: Nevermind, the signed edition is the 20 pounds one and its sold out ffs

It sold out yesterday when I had a look

Burnwinter wrote:
HomeSteak wrote:

On waterstones there is a promotion now - today only I think, on Wenger's book - My Life in Red and White -  that comes out in the fall, 20 pounds for pre order and get this, it comes signed by the man himself.

Really hopeful this book will actually resolve the greatest mystery of our time—Park Chu-Young.

And: "Why I went mental and signed Xhaka and Mustafi"

"Why I dropped an inform Arshavin against Chelsea in the semi final."

I think it was around that season it became harder and harder to blindly trust Wenger

@BBKG I can answer that for you. Both of which, especially Xhaka, were quite promising when we signed them.