Is it Time That Arsene Wenger Changed His Policy at Arsenal?

We all know what Arsene Wenger’s philosophy about football is. Arsenal FC epitomizes it. He has put it to work in this team. But isn’t it time that Mr.Wenger changed his ways?

Arsenal is struggling to perform nowadays and it’s hard for the loyal supporters to stand aside and watch helplessly as their team suffers.

Through the years the fans have witnessed both good and bad moments. The “Gooners” have been with the club through thick and thin but in the end they could say that there had been mostly good years.

From 1996 to 2005 (the year that Arsenal last won a trophy) the Gunners have won 11 trophies and have enjoyed one of the best, if not the best, periods in the history of the club.

Arsene Wenger is one of the major reasons for this to happen. He is widely respected by the Arsenal fans. His philosophy and ideas have transformed the club forever, and in no way we can say for the bad.

But the question here is can Arsenal continue to walk along this romantic path? It was all a beautiful dream, but in the world we live in there is hardly time for such things and it had to come to and end sooner or later.

The teams in the Premier League have adopted much more pragmatic ways to gain points. Arsenal has become predictable, getting drawn or beaten even by “lesser” teams, if you can call them this that.

Stoke City, Hull City, W.B.A, Wigan Athletic, Portsmouth and many more teams who usually fight for survival to stay with England’s finest have succeeded in finding the right formula for stealing points from the “big four”, and it is what most usually happens with Arsenal.

There is no time for the romantic and artistic souls in the world of our time and they are very often ruthlessly rejected. Pragmatism and results are expected, especially in a business that involves millions of people and billions of pounds. Tolerance for sentimentality is gradually disappearing.

So isn’t it time that Wenger considered an alternative to this romantic belief of his and started adopting new methods that would give better results?

It’s a question that is asked by many. The answer may be different for different people.

In my humble opinion, Arsenal must adapt to the change that has happened. It is not the same any more. The world has changed, and along with it football as well, and it will continue to do so. The team that remains most capable of adaptation would succeed. Certain theories of Darwin come to mind…

Let’s pick Manchester United for example. They have had the same manager for over 23 years; nevertheless they continue to be a successful team.

Is it because of that manager?

No doubt about it. But Alex Ferguson has succeeded in finding a way to adapt to the game. Leaving his managerial genius aside, he has also changed something in order to adapt.

Even after a change of ownership, Manchester United has remained a dominating force on the English and European football scene.

Of course, they have had the money to buy the players needed due to the fact that they have led a good financial policy. Ferguson has never had any problems with money. That is not to say that he has adopted the policy of Real Madrid for example who run after every rising star they see.

So, coming back to my main point, is it possible that Arsene Wenger has stuck to his unyielding belief that young player can bring success to the team for a little longer than needed?

He has even broken one major rule in life (not only football). And that is the rule of the cooperation between the experience of the old and, enthusiasm and talent of the young. Maybe this is why Arsenal has failed to impress this season.

Firstly, it must be noted that there is no apparent leader in the squad. An experienced leader is much needed in every case and aspect of life, and especially in Arsenal’s case.

Why has Arsene Wegner failed to perceive that? It is simply beyond my understanding. He persists on using his young players to win trophies. Maybe some healthy self-analysis and self-criticism is needed here.

In addition to that, Wenger has refused to change the tactics of the team, concerning their performance on the field. In this way they have become predictable and many teams have taken advantage of that the last couple of seasons, stealing valuable points from Arsenal.

Perhaps it is time that Arsene Wenger changed something in Arsenal just as he managed to change the team more that 13 years ago.

“In Wenger we trust”. Please, Mr. Wenger, don’t play around with that trust.

Grigor Dimitrov: The New Rising Star in Tennis

Remember what Roger Federer was in his early years of playing tennis? Or Pete Sampras? Or Rafael Nadal? They have all started from somewhere and succeeded in becoming one of the best at what they do. Well, let me introduce you to someone who has the potential to inherit their tennis crowns in the coming years.

Grigor Dimitrov is a very young tennis player from Bulgaria; in fact he is only 17 years old. Demonstrating some incredible talent on the court he has sparked the imaginations of thousand of tennis fans for what he could become in the future.

He has produced some wonderful performances at a very high level in the recent years. Dimitrov is also considered to be the best Bulgarian tennis player at the moment, despite his tender age.

Some people could argue why this boy is special. But the facts speak for themselves.

The Bulgarian wonder kid has some memorable successes under his belt.

Arguably, one of his biggest conquests in tennis so far is his great success in the Wimbledon junior tournament in 2007. He triumphed as champion, destroying all the opposition he faced.

What was even more impressing was that he did this without even losing a single set while playing with a shoulder injury which restricted him from serving at full speed. Undoubtedly, it was a memorable performance from the young Bulgarian.

Grigor Dimitrov continued to reap success during the next year as well. He strolled to victory in the US Open for juniors by beating American Devin Britton 6-4, 6-3 in the final. Thus he secured his second major title in less than a year.

Once again, he crushed his opponents, losing only one set to the seeded No.1 in the tournament - Tsung-Hua Yang, who he met in the semi-final. After the tournament the 17 year-old stated that this would be his last participation in the junior division and that he would try his luck with the professionals.

His success and spectacular performances in the junior tournaments are not the only reason that leads me to believe that he could be the next big thing in tennis.

When you find skills and talent, usually seen in an older person, in someone in a less advanced stage of their lives then you begin to wonder how this has happened.

The truth is that it is something that just happens. Some people have that ability to be more efficient than other in some activity. It seems Grigor Dimitrov has that extra ability, or shall we call it talent, for tennis. And when you couple it with some other favorable conditions, the result is usually class act.

But what does really make this Bulgarian wonder kid so good? What skills does he possess that separate him from the other?

In spite of his years, Grigor Dimitrov has a very stable mentality and this in one of the main reasons behind his success. Not be discarded are also his speed and pace on the court, powerful strikes and even more so serves, and least but not last his brilliant technique. The 17 year-old has also proved more than once that he is an all-court player, particularly strong on the baseline.

Another factor which can prove beneficial to his development is that he has a great coach by his side. And he is indeed Peter Lungren, the same guy who used to coach Roger Federer.

Mr. Lungren’s comparison of Grigor with the great Roger Federer is something that confirms the belief that the young Bulgarian is something special. He said: “Dimitrov is better than Federer at 17 years”.

Let’s hope the young talent takes the right path and makes the right choices and eventually even overtake Federer’s level of skill in tennis in the future. You never know.

All of Dimitrov’s qualities surfaced when he met the current World No.1 Rafael Nadal in February this year. The wonder kid lost but was able to keep his dignity in tact by taking a set from Nadal.

Surely, he managed put himself on the map with a performance like this. This and other great performances have helped him climb the ladder where he is currently ranked 400th.

It remains to be seen what this young tennis player can do in the future. One thing can not be doubted though; he has great potential and talent, and all the necessary ingredients to become a great tennis player in the future. I, for one, wish him the best of luck, not only because he is my countryman but because tennis could benefit from a player like him.