There is no denying that Arsenal FC has enjoyed a period of tremendous success during the Wenger era. Three League titles and three FA Cups puts the club right at the top domestically, and they?ve played competitively against the best teams in Europe in the Champions League and UEFA Cup.
The next step of course is to take a place alongside the great teams of Europe, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Valencia?
Valencia?
Yes, Valencia. In fact, if there is any club Arsenal should be looking at and saying, ?why them and not us?? it?s Valencia. ?Yeah, I guess they?ve done alright,? I here you say. They?ve done a lot better than ?alright.? Let?s take a look at their recent history:
Spanish Cup Winner: 1999
Spanish League Winner: 2002, 2004
Champions League Finalist: 2000, 2001
UEFA Cup Winner: 2004
That?s pretty damn good, both domestically and in Europe. I think the comparison between the two clubs is a good one. Obviously there are some differences, but look at the similarities. Both teams fight against the history and financial firepower of giants domestically (Real and Barca; ManU and Liverpool). Both have eschewed high profile managers, instead going with solid, steady men. Both have extremely talented players, but not the high profile, high cost type. Again, I recognize that I?m using generalizations to some degree, but I think you see my point.
So, why have Valencia won a UEFA Cup whereas Arsenal lost in a final and why have Valencia gone to two consecutive Champions League finals while Arsenal can?t even get to the semis? I have no idea. I don?t think they have better players, though they do have some great talents. I don?t think they?ve had better managers, though they?ve had good ones. Is the La Liga a tougher league, thus preparing them better for European competition? Perhaps, but it?s not like Arsenal are playing in Scotland.
Could it be playing style? Do Valencia play a style that is simply better suited to European competitions? At first glance this is an intriguing theory, but Arsenal have excelled in English knock-out Cup competitions and Real Madrid, certainly not a defensive-minded team, has also had plenty of success in Europe over the last five seasons.
As difficult as it may be to accept, maybe the answer is that Arsenal hasn?t achieved the same success in Europe for no particular reason at all. Early next week I?ll give you my thoughts on what the next five years holds for Arsenal both domestically and in Europe.
4 Responses to “Arsenal v. Valencia ? A comparative analysis”
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June 4th, 2004 at 9:36 am
I’ve mentioned a loose theory here before that unbeaten runs almost always suck you out of CL final contention. If we look at England alone, outside of ManU’s amazing treble season, no team has been able to concentrate soley on winning all the games in the league as Arsenal have this season, and have the depth and luck to run the CL. Even the FA cup has eluded teams with unbeaten records in the past. In my opinion, Wenger will have to play some chess this coming season, “sacrificing” a few league ties to concentrate on Europe. It appears he will, from what I’ve read.
Even if you look at the Valencia trophy cabinet you laid out here, honors seem to stagger.
I think if Wenger concentrates on Europe, without the “distraction” of maintaining an unbeaten run (what a glorious distraction!), we may get even closer in 2005. The timing is perfect for a “hard” treble, but it will have to be a perfect storm of depth, luck and well- managed talent.
Side note: Mourinho seems to have taken a page out of The Professor and has decided that he wants to home-grow a Chelsea powerhouse, going against the Galacticos approach that Roman has tried to mirror. If he sticks to his guns, and he seems the type that will, I wonder how this will settle out in the Chelsea camp? Interesting.
June 4th, 2004 at 9:54 am
So Valencia ALMOST won the CL twice…?
well that doesn’t count for much! We almost won the treble this season… we aren’t shooting for ALMOSTS…
Your points are valid in many respects… but you need LUCK sometimes to be on your side. We will, in my opinion, concentrate much more heavily on the Champions League next season, at the expense of the League and FA CUP. We have already won those each more than once in the last few years. But this will NOT guarantee success in the CL, even if we rest key players in all other competitions.
This was THE YEAR, where all things were in place for us to win the CL… but we had the League, FA CUP and that little unbeaten run going. We wore down a bit in a tough stretch of matches and dropped 2 one goal games, costing us the FA CUP and CL. Can’t plan for the schedule congestion that comes with SUCCESS…
June 5th, 2004 at 2:55 pm
It is a very good piece of posting from Rick. I share with your points. If there is any team I would compare Arsenal to, it is Valencia. Not their playing style, but the status of the clubs and their relatively overachieving performances in recent years.
Arsenal was not a “brandy” name until recent years. We were a good club, but not a “great” club in the rank of Man Utd, Liverpool, at least in the eyes of football historians. So were Valencia.
Both clubs have emerged from their respectively leagues and challenging the “top dogs” in recent seasons through a well-organization, both in terms of the club and the squad, rather than big money quick fix approach as many “rich and glamour” sides did.
June 5th, 2004 at 4:32 pm
Valencia have been a better team than arsenal over the last few years. They have better defensive/midfield players, i.e. canizares, ayala, baraja, aimar, to name but 4.
This is why they have beaten us in our previous meetings. Simply- they are better. Maybe we are getting too arrogant.