“Naggi Asmar weighs in…

There is one thing I would like to add to the discussion on passion/grit/etc. v. talent. I think that the importance of those factors is very different for club football v. international football. In international football, while players are driven patriotism and their country’s expectations, it is rarely the case that top talent does not eventually win out. The reason for that IMO is that international sides are not really “”teams.”" They only play together a handful of times a year and do not practice together extensively. It does ultimately boil down to individual brilliance on that stage. Ego is much more of a factor.

For club football, I feel that the situation is the reverse. We will see how the Real Madrid superstars will fare this year, but attempts to buy a top-notch team usually fail to produce results. Team chemistry and teamwork are much more important. When it comes to club soccer, it really is Victoria Concordia Crescit, as the saying goes

“

“This comes from Jim Costello, Editor, Arsenal All Guns Blazing!:

Just like to congratulate you on your website. I’ve been a regular follower of it ever since I heard you on Capital Gold on the night we clinched the Double at Old Trafford. I didn’t know we had so many fans in America.

Regarding your editorial on why we’re a great team at the moment. When I read the first paragraph I agreed with it, but thought, ‘you need lots of talent too’. So I guess you can’t have a truly great team without both attributes – talent and, as George Graham would say, desire.

This has always been the Arsenal way. Team effort over individual enterprise. We’ve never, until now, been a club which tries to impress people and win games by having an abundance of flair. However, in addition to this, we also have hard-as-nails workers like Keown, Vieira and now Silva. As someone once said, it’s all in the blend. You correctly point out that the England team has lots of grafters but little God-given talent, and, as an England fan, I am all too aware of the limitations this brings. The so-and-so’s have never won anything in my lifetime!

Lastly, I found it interesting that you think as many as six Arsenal players would make a World XI. Could you please list them because I can only think of about four. These are: Vieira (obviously), Pires (who gets the nod over Overmars, Giggs and Nedved because of his all-round game – the others have clear weaknesses in one department or other), Henry (despite very strong competition.Let’s face it, you could pick about ten or fifteen different strikers and nobody would argue too strongly), and, maybe more surprisingly this side of the water, Sol Campbell. I say surprisingly because when he was a Spurs player he was, according to the English media, the greatest thing since Bobby Moore. When he went to Arsenal, he suddenly became a victim of a lot of negative talk. Mmm, funny that! However, he’s twice been voted as a top defender in FIFA World Cup teams. Only a great player achieves that.

Anyway, thanks for a top website. Keep it going. Hope you can take in a live game soon.

–Jim, thanks for the note. As for the six current Gunners I would put in a World XI: Henry, Pires, Vieira, Ljungberg, Wiltord, Campbell.

I’m not talking about their career, I’m talking about today (with the exception of Pires, due to his injury I’m referring to the last time he played). Is Wiltord really one of the best players in the world? No, but right now, today, he is. Could a dozen people put together a dozen different, equally good, World XIs? Of course, but you could stick these Gunners in and it would seem reasonable. “

“A Russian, A Spurs Fan And A Fuzzy Green Dinosaur Walk Into A Donut Shop…|”