Experience

Just had a discussion with someone on Twitter about Arsenal needing a new defender – one with “Premiership Experience”. The person said “we’re after …” but I’m not sure that’s true. We’ve just signed Carl Jenkinson, half-English (at least English born), 19 year old 6ft 1in Right Back, from Charlton. He’s a start, but immediately people start crying “he’s buying kids again” “wah wah wah” (I don’t have much time for whingers)

The words Big and Strong were bandied about. Well those are features which are NOT the sole preserve of English players – take Vidic for example. I’d be very happy if we could sign him (which we won’t because apart from anything else, SAF wouldn’t let him go). Yet in many of these discussions those words are inseparable from the ‘English’ tag. I’m not going to get into another racist rant (and the person I was talking to wasn’t going there either), but I had to mention this amongst others because it keeps happening.

The focus of my latest discussion was Premiership Experience.

So just how important is Premiership experience?

For any player coming in, they arrive without experience and quickly gain it, so what’s the problem? Is it that whoever we bring in has to take too long to adapt? Squillaci and Koscielny have both struggled a bit this term, but Djourou, Clichy, Sagna and Vermaelen didn’t have premiership experience when they arrived, and they did alright. Didn’t they?

Okay, having someone who is more experienced (in the age/playing sense rather than the Premiership sense) to mentor youngsters coming in would of course be a benefit.

People are touting Samba for example as fitting all the ‘right’ criteria as far as they’re concerned.  I’m not so sure. Of course he’s big and strong, but I’m not sure he’s got either enough mobility or enough intelligence for it. Of course I’d support him too if he came, but I’m not amongst those ‘hoping’ he’ll be signed.

My answer to “how important is Premiership experience?” is (you won’t be surprised to hear) – not very. Experience is important, but we’re still not talking about buying 32 year olds here.

The main reason people tout the “Premiership Experience” tag is because the Premiership is described as one of the toughest leagues. Hard and fast, you have to have learned (they say) to deal with that, game after game.

In response to that I’d have to ask where England came in the world cup? And who won it? Who, also, won the Champions League? Was it the English? How did their premiership experience fit them for defeating skill and proper tactics?

This is not a dig at the English – they can play as well as anyone – but tactics and skill are FAR more important than experience playing against men who kick you and bundle you over all the time.

It wasn’t/isn’t big hard physicality that has led teams like West Brom to beat us, and Sunderland, Newcastle, et al, to get draws against us. The physicality thing is quickly becoming a myth. That’s not to say some teams don’t still try to muscle us out, but they cannot do it. What’s been beating us is (a) silly mistake that we do to ourselves, and (b) tactics beaten by better tactics.

Arsene Wenger isn’t stupid, he does know his stuff, but his approach, though exciting, is one dimensional – he doesn’t have the “park the bus” approach in his tactic bag, and sometimes he needs that. He also doesn’t have a striker capable of breaking down the wall parked in front of opposition goals. Sort those two things out and we’ve got a world beating team.

Filling the team with big, strong, premiership experienced, English men, is NOT the way to solve any of Arsenal’s problems. All that will do it turn us into Blackburn, and that’s not a place I want us to be.

Whoever we bring in, IF THEY’RE ANY GOOD, will ADAPT QUICKLY to the English game.

Take young centre back Ignasi Miquel. He fits the bill of being big and strong, and he’s mobile too and very intelligent. When he’s come into the side, he’s really looked “the business”. I’d far rather see him promoted into the first team than see someone like Samba brought in. Miquel proved in the times he played, more than capable of handling both physicality and speed. If you really think that’s what we need, well we’ve got it. We don’t need to be going spending £35 million on someone who isn’t going to be giving us very much more.

Lastly – I sincerely hope Wenger p1sses off all those wanting big name big money signings, and then goes on to win the league with more kids in the side. I’d laugh so long and hard they’d have to lock me up!