Wenger says that he does not think that Mancini's side deserves a lot of credit for winning the premiership last season. Man City spent a £billion and won the title by GD. This is one of the few occasions he makes sense. When you can buy any player on the planet is this a big achievement to finish above everybody else? By implication, he is also giving some credit to Fergie 's side for pushing city so close. He thinks that FFP will mean more challengers in th future. Is he right?
Being a cynic I think he is simply making excuses for the continued failure of himself and his team. He needs to wise up, the miserable twat.
I think he's wrong about ffp meaning more challengers, at least for first place. Apart from the moneybags clubs city/chelsea who has challenged us in the last 5+ years. The silence coming from city this transfer window is deafening.
Not looking for an argument on this, just posing a differing view. In the wake of the wonderful 'Invincibles' Wenger took a conscious decision to rebuild Arsenal 'in his own image. Equally bold & egocentric, certainly not criticizing him for this. He makes a valid point, Mancini has had enormous resources, and Mark Hughes had laid a decent foundation. The Italian cannot be accused of wasting the opportunities, but that most certainly can be said of Wenger. Mancini has spent £250M on Transfer Fees and another £350M on wages in just 2&half yes, which is staggering, but he has elevated City from 'Champions League Qualification Probables' to Premier League Champions with one of Strongest Squads in World Football. Wenger made the opposite journey, and during those seven years of decline, spent virtually nothing on Transfer Fees, but he has blown the best part of £650M on wages. On that basis, Wenger may be better advised keeping his council.
That's like not studying for an exam and getting 70%, and criticising the guy who came first with 96% because "he studied too hard, if we all studied that hard we'd also come first". Suck it up Princess, Mancini used the resources at his disposal to achieve his goals. Either Wenger is not choosing not to use the resources at his disposal, which is his fault for being stubborn... Or he is lying to the fans and doesn't have any extra resources at his disposal, but he is achieving his goals of getting CL football every season. Either way, he shouldn't be worrying about City, United or Chelsea. It's the teams below him who are his immediate competition... Oh, and he earns a whopping wage himself, but the club can't buy anyone else? Hmmmm, hush money methinks. As David Schofield said, it's wages that are his problem...
To use your analogy, I think it is more like you studying as hard as you can but the other guy having 2 or 3 specialist and expensive tutors to train him specifically to get the marks required. On the other hand you could argue that Wenger chose not to buy and spend the money but realistically can anyone outspend City?
It's not a case of out spending them though. They can't buy every single player out there so it's a case of finding alternatives and competing, rather than moaning like **** about them. He's pretty much saying he can't compete and if that's the case they should **** him off and give the job to someone prepared to have a go. He should stand and fall by his own purchases, not use those of another club as an excuse. No wonder Arsenal fans are a bunch of whining ****s, they get their example off him.
Well; Mancini's men did not do a Devon Loch like the Wengerboys do annually. That's got little to do with the amount of cash spent
Before you got Abramovich you used to finish below Arsenal all the time. So money does help with that to.
True, but a smart kid with some decent tutors should be able to beat a thick kid with the expensive tutors. You don't need to outspend City to compete with them, as we've shown for the last four seasons. Arsenal's problem is that they would rather make money and be second rate than spend it to try and get to the top. At least SAF and the Glazers are willing to spend to bring in new players and keep the ones we already have.
City have simply spent in 3 years what others have spent in the previous 13 or so years. Wenger was a genius manager but it makes me laugh when they talk about his talented kids and spending money next to no money. He has regularly spent a massive amount on wages and signing on fees which get hidden in comparison to transfer fees. He has been fantastic at buying low and selling high in the past (Anelka to name just one) but the truth is Arsenal currently pay close on £120-£130 MILLION per year on wages... they have for the past decade and a half paid over £40m per year more than us (spurs) on wages... (I ain't complaining by the way it is their right to pay their players as they see fit) City were on a par with us so that equates to them spending approx £500-£600 million more than city. A case of what goes round comes round i think