Article
Wenger faces balancing act
LONDON (AFP) - Arsene Wenger faces a challenge that will define Arsenal's future as he tries to balance the expectations of his star players with the need to develop his young prodigies.
Arsenal will finish without a trophy for the second successive season and, while a victory over Fulham on Sunday would clinch a Champions League place, Wenger knows the likes of Thierry Henry and William Gallas won't be satisfied if the Gunners' barren run stretches to a third year.
With Cesc Fabregas, Emmanuel Eboue, Denilson and Robin van Persie all showing signs of becoming top-class players, Wenger has the tools to build another title-winning team.
But Chelsea and Manchester United pose a formidable barrier to his ambitions and Gallas has already expressed his frustration at Arsenal's failure to mount a serious challenge for silverware, while Henry admits his future at the club is tied to Wenger.
The prospect of his senior players beginning to doubt whether Arsenal can seriously compete for major honours is a concern for Wenger, but he is adamant success is just around the corner.
"I feel it has been an interesting season, a season full of promise, full of tests for the club and I am confident that it will help us to be stronger next year," he said.
"It is not enough, do not take me wrong, but it is not a super disaster. We moved to a new stadium, and when you move to a new stadium, you drop points.
"We had big, big long-term injuries, yet despite this we still finish fourth, or maybe third, in the league and just having lost in the Carling Cup final with a very, very young team."
Wenger played down suggestions that Gallas wanted to leave after reportedly falling out with several team-mates. "He has had a difficult season this year because he's a very ambitious player," Wenger said. "There are no special differences other than the usual ones every player has with his partners, there are no problems with him at all."
Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez has prepared for the daunting trip to the Emirates Stadium comforted by his ability as Northern Ireland coach to upset supposedly superior opponents.
Sanchez has masterminded shock victories over England, Sweden and Spain and desperately needs a similiar result on Sunday as he tries to stop Fulham slipping into the relegation zone.
Sanchez insists he will feel responsible if Fulham go down, even though he has only been in charge for two matches.
"Some people have said I'm in a win-win situation here but I'm not," he said. "My reputation is on the line and I don't want to see that sullied by relegation.
"I'll blame myself if we do go down. If we can get three draws from our three remaining games and limp over the line that would be enough, and I'd take that because this is not about me.
"It's about the club and the players, who represent the fans, making sure we're in the Premiership next year."
Sanchez, who spent a day picking up training tips from Wenger last season, is not short of confidence and is convinced he will succeed in the Premiership whether or not he gets a permanent post at Fulham.
"It would be nice if we beat Arsenal and everyone said well done to me, but it's not about that," he said.
"Sixteen days into the 32-day contract I believe I'm up to managing in the Premiership. If it's not here then it will be somewhere else."
Comments (0)