Thank you. So tired of hearing how Wenger inherited this great team and built nothing. A setta nonsense from people who don't bother to check their facts
Has Arsene9 ever build a great side from scratch that won things? The invicibles and sides that won trophies contained a defense including goalie from the previous manager.
Incorrect. Only pre-Wenger players were Bergkamp, Parlour and Keown.
Rest of the The invincibles team was mostly Wenger's signings:
Vieira, Lehmann, Cole, Toure, Campbell, Lauren, Gilberto, Ljunberg, Pires, Henry, Edu, Cygan, Wiltord, Clichy, Reyes, Kanu, Aliadiere, Van Bronchorst, Jeffers.
The 'invincibles' was A 2004 side that win a league title only.
The side before that won two doubles (98 and 2002) and make 3 successive FA cup finals. Adams, Dixon, Keown, Winterburn, Seaman even Parlour were all big contributors.
In fact, take away those pre-Wenger men and Arsenal is a side with one league in 15 years so a lot of the success that Wenger trades on is built on players who were at the club when he got there.
What you have to give Wenger credit for is changing the way those guys played and worked and prolonging their careers so the were playing top level in their late, late 30s. I like Wenger and think the Arsenal fans crying over 5, 6, 7 year drought is silly in an age where Liverpool and Everton can't even sniff a title. That being said it is telling that the loss of a ready-made defence, and players with hardmen mentality coincides with this slow period.
Just for the sake of comparison it took Ferguson 7 years to win his 1st title. In that time he sold everyone he met at the club and it was all his players with the exception of Robson who barely played in the Championship season anyway. But that 1st great side form the foundation for the 2nd and so on. That is what Wenger is trying to build.
