Right again: Winning the Arsene-al way

Admit it. You thought Arsene Wenger was tilting at windmills.

Or perhaps you thought his notion of maintaining a team with a few veterans and a core of youngsters was the folly of someone who was mailing it in--already certain he was following Thierry Henry to greener pastures.

Wenger has spent the past few years racked with criticism over personnel and transfer decisions. But through it all, he was, in fact, standing with unwavering faith that his frugal but prudent purchases and his carefully nurtured starlets would meld into a side that could compete for domestic honors.

As Chelsea's all-star team gobbled up trophies and Manchester United surged back to prominence, soccer observers forgot the vision of the man who plucked Viera and Henry from frustrated obscurity and placed them amongst the world's best in their positions.

If anyone had forgotten Wenger's brilliance, they are remembering now.

An Arsenal fan could be forgiven for worrying where the team would get goals after Henry's departure, but the youngsters have stepped up to the challenge--continuing to play the flowing, beautiful football that we've come to expect, but rather that being dependent on the talismanic Frenchman to seal the deal, they're sharing the ball and players like Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin van Persie, and even the previously misfiring Cesc Fabregas are slotting away the goals.

As Wenger explained in a recent Soccernet article on the Henry transfer:

"it is natural when a player of the calibre of Thierry, they look for him first to do something, and when he is not there somebody else, it is a bit more shared."

Both Henry's injury-plagued last season and Wenger's leadership have hastened this transition, and the result is a real gift to both Gooners and fans of the beautiful game.

Arsenal 2: Fulham 1 Analysis

Analysis is bulletized below--first an observation:

Every American soccer fan has had this experience: you're alone watching the television, and in a moment of high drama, your team scores a crucial goal.

In the ritual, communal experience of being a sports spectator, we're used to leaping, screaming, and generally losing control in with a crowd of fellow fans. But, there are no teeming fans, so you go absolutely crazy, all by yourself, in the basement, surrounded only by laundry.

Usually, this sort of behavior is reserved for USMNT games, but those of us who have a favorite EPL team know the beauty and ridiculousness of this behavior when you have to set an alarm clock to watch the game.

I got up at 7:00AM this morning to watch Arsenal's season opener against Fulham. While I always root for the "America East" Cottagers when they aren't playing the Gunners, I absolutely lost control when Arsenal came back with two late goals to clinch 3 points that seemed so utterly out of reach at the 80th minute.

A few thoughts:

• It was fantastic to see Brian McBride wearing the captain's armband for Fulham. Even while I was watching him in the stands at Crew games, I always thought he deserved a real run at it in Europe, given all he had sacrificed and all the blood he'd spilled for the Red, White, and Blue. It is really gratifying to see him getting the respect he deserves. For my money, one of the most influential players in the history of the USMNT.

• Jens Lehman is slowly becoming Fabien Barthez--capable of dazzling saves and mindblowing gaffes.

• For most of the game, it felt like a re-run of last year with regards to the Arsenal play. They dominated possession for long stretches, utterly controlled the pace of play, put together jaw-dropping and inventive attacking movement, then squandered chances in front of goal.
  

• Carlos Bocanegra really had no complaint on the penalty. One of the angles clearly showed him dropping a shoulder into the onrushing Kolo Toure.

• Clint Dempsey looked sharp and confident when he was on the pitch. Late on, he squirted wide a shot that could have sealed the game for Fulham.
  

• There is obviously considerable excitement about the maturing Theo Walcott, but except for a few blistering runs down the wing, he looked tentative today. With the vacuum created by Henry's absence, there is a tremendous opportunity for many of these young Gunners to step up and really make this team their own. They need to rise to the occasion.

• While Tony Warner was clearly Fulham's Man of the Match, he was considerably aided by a competent and dogged Fulham defense, who held together much of the day despite being besieged. Zat Knight deserves special praise for his physical presence, aerial control, and constant pressure on Arsenal attackers to make their many chances on goal as rushed as possible.
  

• Nicklas Bendtner was in the thick of everything after coming on. The teenager didn't get a goal today, but he might be the "fox in the box" that Francis Jeffers never proved to be.

• I hope so, because I won't be convinced that Arsenal is really in consideration for the title chase until they show that they can prove they can marry their precision to production, and play football that has more than just beauty to show for it.
  

Mustering the strength to talk about the Henry Transfer...

It is done and dusted and Arsenal's talisman is gone.

Thank goodness for the thrilling Gold Cup final and the US result or this may have been a truly depressing weekend. 16 million quid seems a pittance for the man I unequivocally insist is the world's best striker. I had hoped for getting Etoo as part of the package, but alas, it is cash on the barrel head only. This scenario is troubling for two reasons:

It suggests the quite cerebral Henry was not convinced of Arsenal's near-term ambition. While the Gunners are clearly stocked with young talent, they've lacked the steadying and consistent contribution from senior players in the midfield and in the attack outside of Henry and Gilberto. Given their injury problems and the frenetic fixture schedule for top flight English clubs, success has far too often relied on gifted but untested youngsters.

It seems clear Henry wanted assurance that the team would be spending to bring in more established star talent, and the front office is too mired in bickering to give any comfort in that regard. Not a good sign for Gooners.

It suggests doubts regarding Arsene Wenger's future. Henry was quite clear that the fact that Wenger hadn't signed an extension to his contract weighed mightily in his decision. Wenger is clearly none-too-pleased at the David Dein resignation and the Kronke disputes, and he is always a man in high demand. With one of the world's transcendent talents in your side, silverware always seems within your reach. Now, even with all the brilliant youngsters at his disposal, his loyalty will be tested.

Having seen Bergkamp, Viera, and Henry fall to the wayside, I must admit that my own enthusiasm for the 07-08 season is desperately waning. I hope for good news on the managerial contract and transfer fronts.