Arsène Wenger
Wenger - Some teams are living in dreamland
By Richard Clarke
Arsène Wenger believes the stark financial realities of the modern world will hit football soon. And when they do, his prudent policies will leave Arsenal in a strong position.
The Frenchman has come in for some rare criticism recently. That only intensified on Saturday when Arsenal went down to their fifth Premier League defeat of the season and slipped 10 points behind leaders Chelsea.
They can recoup some of their reputation by qualifying for the Champions League Knockout Stages with a victory over Dynamo Kyiv this evening. However it has been suggested that Wenger has no choice but to heavily re-enforce his squad in the January transfer window if Arsenal are to land their first trophy since 2005.
It is something the Frenchman has been reluctant to do in recent years. Instead he has invested in younger players and brought them through the ranks.
It is a patient policy in a sport that waits for no-one. However Wenger argues that his 12-year tenure has seen massive development at Arsenal so he can accept the odd bump along the road.
“I'm not happy when we don't win games,” said the 59-year-old. “We are very frustrated and very disappointed but you have to take a distance.
"This Club has been pushed into the 21st century with a training ground, a stadium and a young team. It is in a very healthy financial situation and that is contrary to many teams we fight against.
"Of course you can always say that you need to win every game. But we are in a global situation which is very, very positive.
"In a punctual situation we are not ideal but, don't worry, the most important thing is to win this game and then keep going for the next game.
“We are going towards a world where our healthy financial situation is already in place. We have a new team living in a new stadium and that will be much more important than anything else.
"People don't realise that at the moment. They still live in dreamland and are spending more money but you don't know what kind of world we are facing in the next 12 or 16 months.
"I believe that is much more important than all the rest."
[Tuesday, November 25, 2008]
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