The Premier League has not changed much in style of play over the past 10 years.
In order to survive, teams like Stoke, Fulham or Birmingham will still battle hard and pump long balls in the box.
Once in a while, you will meet innovative young managers like Martinez or Holloway who want to play football the right way but it is no coincidence that Wigan and Blackpool are very much looking relegation-bound this season.
Those who survive use the tried and tested way.
Bolton has changed its approach under Coyle but they reverted to old form with Taylor and Davies systematically fouling when we had the ball (I wont even get into the ridiculous referring we faced lately - how did Davies get booked only in the 88th minute is beyond me, not mentionning the absurd penalty award).
The fact is that the top teams in the Premiership have become more exciting lately but in order to win the title you still need to do the business against the likes of Stoke, Fulham, Blackburn or Bolton.
Wenger used to do it brilliantly and this is how he won the league in 1998, 2002 or 2004.
Plenty of pace on the wings and up front (Anelka,Overmars or Henry) , a strong tough tackling midfield (Parlour,Vieira or Petit) and of course a legendary defence (Adams,Keown or Campbell).
I watched the Manchester FA Cup semi-finals where City tormented United for a large period of twenty minutes by using a combination of strength, power and pace in midfield. United were rattled and City cruised to the final.
Wenger seems to have had a Barcelona-obsession since 2006 and has added short (granted very creative) players to his side. Even new centre-backs were now shorter than usual.
It is a complete transformation from his title-winning sides but why change a winning formula?
He says he will stick to his principles but if they have not won you anything for six years then you must reassess.
When his football works, it is a pleasure to watch. But as Fabregas says it only lasts for a few months and whether Arsene likes it or not , football is about winning.
Besides, Barcelona have an impressive engine in midfield and a superb central defence pairing in Puyol and Pique.
The sad part is that he has been there and done that. That is why the majority of Arsenal fans (and websites) still want him on board. We are backing a manager who has been successful before but he did win the title with different principles.
Apologies for the lack of updates. Been travelling all over the world on business over the last two weeks and it has nothing to do with me sulking since the Liverpool game. Seriously!
