Tag Archives: Arsène Wenger

The Myth of Dennis Bergkamp

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After the signing of Mesut Ozil, the talk in blogs and podcasts throughout the Arsenal world is about how the signing is ‘Arsene Wenger’s Dennis Bergkamp moment.’ The theory being that we have not signed a truly world class player since Dennis Bergkamp, and that as with the signing of Bergkamp, it will see more top signings follow.

This is frankly not true.

Firstly, when we signed Dennis Bergkamp, he was no longer a world class performer. After finishing 2nd and 3rd in the 1992 & 1993 Ballon d’Ors respectively, he had gone backwards. His star had fallen.

A disastrous two year spell at Inter Milan led him to leave them for just £400,000 more than what they signed him for. Whilst he went on to become one of Arsenal’s greatest ever players, when we signed him, he was certainly an underperformer. He was not the world class signing that many make out.

Whilst Mesut Ozil has not had the easiest of times over the last 12 months at Real Madrid, his star as not fallen anywhere near as much as Dennis Bergkamp. Whereas many were begining to doubt Dennis Bergkamp’s talent when we signed him, Ozil’s talent is in not doubt. with even Jose Mourinho labelling him as the best number 10 in world football.

The 2nd Dennis Bergkamp myth is his signing lead to the floodgates opening and many more world class players following him through the door. This was just not true.

Dennis Bergkamp signed nearly a month after David Platt had joined the club. No more transfers were made that year, in times before transfer windows. The next season, Arsene Wenger’s 1st, the transfers were as follows:

Valur Gíslason
John Lukic
Remi Garde
Patrick Vieira
Nicolas Anelka

Not a single world class player amongst them. And in 1997, the year of the double, things were no better:

Matthew Upson
Gilles Grimandi
Luis Boa Morte
Alberto Mendez
Marc Overmars
Emmanuel Petit
Alex Manninger
Christopher Wreh

These types of transfers would be the stock of Wenger’s transfer’s. A mixture of talented youngster, and senior players who had become out of favour / injured / unknowns. What is certainly true is that the signing of Dennis Bergkamp did not attract any world class talent to the club.

Whilst there are many comparisons between the signing of Bergkamp and Ozil. I do think we look back at Bergkamp’s through rose tinted, hindsight glasses. Were we really that excited? Or were we moaning we had signed a washed-up home sick Dutchman who can not fly?

For me, the signing of Mesut Ozil is bigger then that of Bergkamp. He is a truly world class player. And with the finances we now have, his signing should open up the floodgates of further world class players wanting to join Arsenal.

The signing of Mesut Ozil is not Wenger’s Dennis Bergkamp moment. It is bigger then that.

Keenos

Not buying a back up for Giroud could cost The Arsenal….

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Firstly congratulations to everyone at The Arsenal who somehow managed to persuade Ozil to join us, what a great great player and one that’s already getting tipped to be the biggest signing since Bergkamp. If he’s half as good as everyones hype we have got one hell of a player on our books now. But my problem is who he’s going to pass to ahead of him to bang in the goals.

It seems very odd that at the start of the transfer window Wenger started off by bidding and in Suarez’s case openly tapping up every available front man in world football, sadly he managed not to net any of them. This has led us to the position where all our eggs are firmly in Giroud’s basket, he is the only proper out and out front man at the club right now.

Giroud has started off the season in great form, banging in the goals, looking fit and covering a lot of ground. His recent work rate is only second to Ramsey and maybe that’s down to him feeling secure that he is the number one forward at the club, but in reality he is the only one. I fear for the worst if anything would happen to him as the back up is non existent.

Wenger has a few choices if anything were to happen to Giroud…

Podolski – Out injured for 12 weeks
Oxlade-Chamberlain – Out injured for 12 weeks
Sanogo – no-where near ready for 1st team action
Bendtner – Unfit to wear an Arsenal shirt
Park – WHO ?

So basically that leaves us Theo Walcott, who I have no problems in seeing him in a more central role. With his pace and ever increasing confidence in front of goal I have no worries that given some chances he can deliver the goods. But with our current injury situation who does that leave to play on the right side of attack? Ramsey, our stand out central midfielder who so far this season and let’s not forget when Wenger played Ramsey down the right he had a few stinkers and was subject to a few stupid boo boys. Not Ramsey’s fault, he is not a wide player, he is a central player.

We are basically screwed if anything happens to Giroud, for the next 12 weeks there is no plan B. Wenger has messed up in not landing an out and out forward and there is no way I can see Giroud playing 2 games a week and keeping up the sharpness and work rate he has so far this season.

So thanks for Ozil but he is just really papering over the cracks of a weak squad and the sad thing is there was still plenty of money left unspent

GC

10 Reasons why we will beat Tottenham + Likely starting 11

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1..We have a nice core players who know what it means to win and lose this fixture and a free transfer in Flamini who loves kicking them up in the air

2..We have Kos back after his unfortunate red card vs Villa

3..Sagna can go back to right back and has been one of our stand out players this season so far

4..Ramsey, he deserves the praise heaped on him at the moment, he will be key to beating them

5..They have lost Bale, none of the players they have left are even close to him as a match winner

6..The new signings they have made will not have had time to settle in and defiantly will have no idea how to handle the hot bed that is one of the fiercest Derby’s in British football

7..They have struggled to score goals from open play this season (the mikey mouse Thursday games clearly don’t count), we have scored 11 in the last 3 games.

8..Our Record Vs them…won 74 drawn 47 lost 54

9..The more hype and bravado tottenham fans come out with normally means the more egg on their faces

10..Wenger knows, lose this one and he’s going to lose what little faith some Arsenal fans have left in him, win and then spend big Monday and he might not be job hunting so soon.

Likely Starting 11 – Chesney, Sagna, Merts, Kos, Gibbs, Ramsey, Jack, Flamini, Santi, Theooo, Oliver

Prediction 4-0

COME ON THE ARSENAL !!!

GC