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There was no Plan B' and the players in the side at the moment such as Song and Denilson (both youngsters) simply don't cut it.

With a lack of players comes a lack of balance within the side. As it stands, Wenger does not know what his best first eleven is. Bar Theo Walcott, Arsenal don't seem to have any right of left sided midfield players which has led to players being played out of position on more than one occasion. When you compare this to Manchester United who have two or three players covering every position, it is obvious that there is a huge gap just now. On top of this, Manchester United have held on to the likes of Giggs, Scholes, Gary Neville, Ferdinand and Ronaldo as the mainstays of their squad and it tells in the way they play together as a team. When you add Rooney, Berbatov and Tevez to that mix, there is a pretty good reason as to why Manchester United are a class above Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger is too proud to admit that he is wrong. As great as it is to watch his young side tear apart a team from The Championship, there is something missing when it comes to big games. They do have Van Persie and Adebayor who on their day can be a different class but every lead needs a supporting cast. Possibly the key to the downfall of Arsenal was when Wenger gave the captain's armband to William Gallas who, from past exploits, most of us onlookers could see was not up for the job. This caused so much controversy within the club and began the media questioning of Wenger's usual impeccable judgment. Although they may say otherwise, when the media question your manager, the players do too.

All this being said, the current Arsenal squad is probably one of the most promising sides for the future that the Premiership has witnessed. However, youngsters perfecting their trade is no substitute for the finished article which is something that Walcott, Vela, Bendtner, Sagna, Denilson, Nasri and even Fabregas certainly are not. With the current economic climate in Britain, this focus on youth could eventually pay dividends for Arsenal as a business but fans cannot expect the successes of old. These youngsters will not develop without the old heads around them meaning that Wenger needs to act quickly, not only for instant success but also to ensure future success.

The Arsenal side of 2008/2009 seem a long way from that which saw Tony Adams winning them the title a decade ago.

Learn more about this author, Marc Steel.
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