Scolari And Youth

[Tim W]

beat Sheff Utd 6-0 but aren't these the youngsters our reserves beat 3 weeks ago?

[barak81]

And i think we will see us play out first team...

The carling cup has been nice to win over the years and i do rate it as a trophy but i would be just as happy to see us blood our youth in thease games.. its one more competition that most of europe play in any way

[Nibs]

It has been good to have the League Cup success in recent years (bar last seasons final of course). But I'm now of the opinion that we should follow the Gooners lead and play some youngsters. Come February/March, if we're still in the League Cup, it can hamper the Premiership & CL, so rather than risk tiring the like of Lamps etc, just give the youngsters a chance NOW.

As for the Gooners, I hope this is yet another season where the early promise evaporates as the season gathers pace. But I cannot help but admire Wenger. The average age last night was 19. 19!! And it appears they had some Brits playing as well!

They are seeing the benefit of sticking with a very good coach and letting him deal with ALL footballing matters.

[Chelsea FC Champions]

the league cup should be a competition for only under 21..

[dkw]

we get the same every year, arsenals kids batter a lower league team and all the commentators and sports writers cream themselves over it. telling us their going to be awesome when they break through into the first team. thats at least 4 years on the trot i can remember this happening, and yet the only palyers to have made it are fabregas and clichy. and yes, it was pretty much teh same team ou ressies outplayed and beat a few weeks ago.

[Barn]

I can't help but feel that by fielding younger and younger teams every year is just about him making a statement and got little really to do with Arsenal ever winning anything?

[dkw]

I can't help but feel that by fielding younger and younger teams every year is just about him making a statement and got little really to do with Arsenal ever winning anything?

exactly what i was thinking. i would put good money that of the young players on show last night, only 2 will ever hold down a first team place at arsenal. now this isnt to decry the efforts being made at arsenal to bring youth through, just the fact they seem to think their the only club doing it. i actually saw a post on a forum yesterday by an arse fan which basically said "playing brilliant football with young players is better than winning trophys". obviously he was laughed out, but is that really their attitude? if it is then they have been suckered in by wenger and co`s brainwashing.

[Nibs]

Very seldom do you get a crop of brilliant youngsters who all go onto make it for their clubs senior team. Man Utd will be the obvious exception to that in recent years and to an extent West Ham, but then we all know where their fine youngsters end up!!

Nowadays, we or Man Utd could have all those Arsenal youngsters on our books, but we all know that in a couple of seasons time, only the very best of them would get given a chance and even then on an ad hoc basis, as for sustained success, we take the other route – ie; buy an established, quality player in a Deco or a Ballack or a Berbatov or Tevez. I think Arsenal do at least give the youngsters more of a chance, especially with Wenger’s apparent refusal to currently sign “big name†players.

That’s why, as much as I loathe Arsenal and absolutely love it when we beat them, I do have a grudging respect for the way they are going about things. From the style of play to their refusal to buy ageing stars and paying them silly money. I’m not saying I want us to be like them and win f**k all for the next decade, but it is all about finding the balance. Get the foundations, in your Cech, JT & Carvo, Lamps, Essien Joey & Drogba, then blend that with some youth. Okay, so now and again one of these young players might not perform and short term we might suffer, but we should be looking at the long term. Is gambling on a bit of youth any different from gambling on players like Anelka and Sheva?

Hopefully this is what we will be doing in the future, although I don't hold great hope on that when we aren't even giving the likes of Di Santo & Sinclair a run out in Champions League matches which were won after 25 minutes. It also wouldn't please the JCL's who love the big name stars - even when they turn out to be sh*te and of course playing unheard of youth players might not do a great deal for the "Global Brand".

[TheWestwayWonder]

Nibs, I think we are already seeing that process take hold. I know Di Santo hasnt been out there, but Mikel is practically now a first XI alternate. I think its only a matter of time till Sahar, Sinclair, and Di Santo (or at least one or two of them) get the same status. Which will happen if Anelka keeps leading our frigging line.

But back to the original point, I agree with DKW. Every year this happens. Every year Arsenal comes out and it looks like they have the next maradonna, platini and Baresi in the same side. And it will be only a matter of time before they take the world by storm.

Trouble is that when it comes time for these players to mature and sign long term deals the club cheaps out unless they are as good as the likes of Toure or Fabregas, and lets them walk or sells them. So there is a constant process of restocking the team with young players to suppliment ones who arent much older.

I think unless Arsenal has a side with the experience and maturity they had with Vieira, Henry, Wiltord, Pires, Parlour, Keown etc, where at least some of the players are veterans who have been at the club, and who know the league, they are never going to be able to sustain a meaningful challenge in a real competition. Which is a damned shame because they apparrently have the money to spend. I think Wenger just hates exposing his poor record on older players, and would prefer to just sign these whiz kids for nothing, even if it comes to nothing. Because at least, then, his legacy will be a great style of play.

[icecoolguy22]

I remember last year Arsenal put up a kids team that had a few good wins in the cup, then so went to Old Trafford and got a thrashing from the second string Man United. Afterwards no one mentioned the 'wonder kids' again.. I admire what Wenger is trying to do every year, but if he keeps playing the 'boys' every year, it will take a divine intervention for them to win the cup in the next decade. Wemger can talk up his kids every year, but unless he start win something, his position will be questioned. No one is unsackable in this business.

I still prefer our approach to the carling cup, although we are a bit too conservative by the team we sent out last night. The priority is to win the game, you play a bunch of kids and lose the game, the kids have to wait for another year for a game. We play a strong team, the kids will get 5-6 games as subs, and by some luck they will walk away with a medal. If we shove them into the deep end, they play a couple of games, and have to live with the disappointment of losing to an average mature team.

[loz]

I think it was Tottenham that thumped them not Utd.

[coco]

I think it was Tottenham that thumped them not Utd.

23/01/08 - Spuds 5 v 1 Ars

But it wasnt a second string Arsenal team, they played Fabregas, Gallas, Gilberto, Sagna, Adebayor and Eduardo that night.

[Chelsea FC Champions]

Manchester United 4-0 Arsenal FA CUP 16/02/08

Edited September 25, 2008 by Chelsea FC Champions

[Chelsea FC Champions]

I think it was Tottenham that thumped them not Utd.

Manchester United 4-0 Arsenal FA CUP 16/02/08

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson (Scholes 72), Park, Rooney (Saha 71), Nani.

Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, O'Shea, Tevez.

Booked: Ferdinand, Rooney, Fletcher.

Goals: Rooney 16, Fletcher 20, Nani 38, Fletcher 74.

Arsenal: Lehmann, Justin Hoyte, Gallas, Toure, Traore, Eboue, Fabregas (Flamini 70), Silva, Hleb (Adebayor 70), Eduardo (Senderos 71), Bendtner.

Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Clichy.

Sent Off: Eboue (49).

Booked: Eduardo, Silva, Adebayor.

Att: 76,000

Ref: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).

Edited September 25, 2008 by Chelsea FC Champions

[heckel]

I'm disappointed that with the injuries we're already carrying that we've again fielded many of our first team in the CC. Teams like Pompey often see the CC as their biggest shot so the chances of picking up further injuries in games like this is considerable. I thought Scolari would have better judgement on this one - I'd prefer it if we didn't have further games clogging up our schedule. If we'd dropped out earlier in the CC last year we might well have picked up the extra three points that would have brought us the PL.

[Lofty]

I think it's worth repeating here the point I made in the Portsmouth v Chelsea match thread; that Drogba and Ballack have both just returned from injuries and are not fully match fit, so what better chance than last night to give the pair of them a good run out - you only get match fit by playing competitive matches. And with Deco out and our lack of striking options, having both players fully fit is surely a priority.

[dkw]

a lot of people seem to want scolari to throw some of our youngsters into games at the moment. i can understand why, id love nothing more than to have a couple of lads from our youth set up hit take the first team and prem by storm, giving us bragging rights over our holier than thou, myopic neighbours (im looking at you mr wenger). but i think we need a perspective on this. scolari wont have had much time to understand the physical and mental capabilities of the young players at the club. he hasnt been here long and will have spent the majority of his time and efforts on making sure the 1st team are ready and able to play to his tactics. the pompey game was perfect ot give drogba and ballack some much needed game time. though he will have been given a heads up by the ressie and acadamy coaching teams, i guess he`d rather know a player before playing him in the 1st team. it could backfire massively if he threw say, scott sinclair on in at centre forward in a combative game, where he then gets kicked all over the place and has his confidence damaged. im sure scolari and his coaching team know when and where will be the best place for the young uns to get their opportunity. we need to allow him to understand these players first, before they take the world by storm.

[Ruh Buh Juh]

I say that you must have at least 4 under 21s in your starting line-up in the Carling and FA Cup, then you can bring whoever you want on as a sub.