by Viknesh

Created on: April 06, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

When you are winning, people rarely criticize you. They are more than happy to shower praises, closing an eye to any shortcoming that you may have. Yet, the moment the wins stop coming with regularity, they start sharpening their knives and take you apart with a vengeance. That has been Arsenal's relationship with the press this season, which has been mediocre by their high standards. One of the points the press love bringing up is Arsenal's lack of English players and how this contributes to their current lackluster state.

I thoroughly disagree with this point. During their 49 game unbeaten run, only two English players featured regularly; Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole. These two players contributed immensely to Arsenal's famous unbeaten run with their grit and defensive prowess. No doubt they embodied the famed 'never say die' English spirit. Yet, it would absurd to say that only these Arsenal players had such qualities. During their run, there were many games where Arsenal had to come back from a goal down in order to win or draw the match. I really doubt that these comebacks were only down to the two English players who featured for Arsenal.

Arsenal's foreign players have always come under attack for being too weak physically and not being able to adapt to the hustle and bustle of the English Premier League. Yet, none proves this is false as much as Robert Pires. He was signed by Arsenal in 2000. I admit that his first season did not go too well, with many saying that he went down too easily under challenges. However, he came of age in the 2001-2002 season. Having adapted to the physical nature of the league, Pires began to shine and played an integral part in Arsenal's tittle win. He finished the season with the most number of assists in the league and was voted both the FWA footballer of the year and Arsenal's player of the year. Not too bad for someone who did not play the last two months of the season due to an injury.

Arsenal may not have had the best of results this season. Even at this stage of season, they have nothing left to play for except for 3rd place. But one needs to understand that this is a young squad. They may play panache and flair but yet, there have been numerous occasions where they have been let down by a lack of experience and maturity. Their cause has not been helped by the numerous injuries that have decimated the squad. Its too early to judge this team. Next season, we will be able to see if they can finally live up to the huge expectations.

Learn more about this author, Viknesh.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.