Wenger reveals ingredients

Gunners boss hails Fabregas' talent and development

Last updated: 11th August 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Wenger reveals ingredients

Wenger and Euro 2008 winner Fabregas

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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has acclaimed Cesc Fabregas' dedication and maturity, while revealing the three ingredients he considers integral when identifying stars of the future.

The French tactician has earned a reputation for discovering and blooding young talent since taking over The Gunners in 1996.

In July 2003, Wenger brought Fabregas - who was just 16 at the time - to North London from Barcelona.

The Arsenal manager's acquisition proved a fruitful one, with Fabregas flourishing into one of the best midfielders in the world.

And Wenger has heaped praise on the Spain international, expressing his belief that Fabregas optimises the ideal attitude of an aspiring footballer - hungry for success.

"This boy is very young. But at a very young age he has to make big decisions," Wenger said at Nike Live's The Cesc Fabregas Show.

"It is what you make of your talent. At some stage you need to have the intelligence to realise what you have to do.

Maturity

"At 16-years-old he had to decide to leave his parents and sign for Arsenal football club. What got him to do that is the tremendous desire to become a great football player.

"What you can learn from someone successful is how much he is ready to give to be good.

"When you get up in the morning we are always torn in the comfort zone and being the best. It is about saying to yourself 'I want to be the best'."

This year, the Football Association has outlined its plans to address an apparent dearth of English talent.

And Wenger, who has often brought in youngsters from abroad, has revealed the qualities he and his coaching staff look for when identifying a gifted footballer.

"I have been in touch with many great players, and it is always about a combination of talent, intelligence and motivation," said Wenger.

"If one of the three is missing then there is no great career. We say that god doesn't give you everything, but in some he gives more."

The Frenchman went on to draw on his analogy of a player's development mirroring the foundations and building of a house.

"You build a player like you build a house," he explained. "The basis or foundation is the technique, which you get between seven and 14 years of age.

"With no technical skill at 14, you can forget it; you will never be a football player.

Have your say

"The second part - first floor - is the physical aspect. This is decided between 14 and 17. Will they be quick enough or strong enough?

"The third part - second floor - is the tactical aspect. Does he understand the game? How can I relate to you if you have the ball, do I know where to go?

"The final part is decided at 18 or 19 years of age. How much do I want to be successful? That is the final floor - the roof. With no roof it rains in and the house collapses."

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Comments (45)

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Ladi Akeju (Arsenal fan) says...

I remeber an interview a few years ago, Wenger was asked what he would like to do after Arsenal. He expressed a desire to work with children, to nurture their talents. At the time I sensed his days in Arsenal were numbered, his contract was winding down and it was before he signed a new one. Infact it was before the move to the Emirates. I think somehow Arsene has cleverly been able to eat his cake and still have it to. Since then it is safe to say Arsene is working with children and still incredibly also in top flight management! His judgement re: ingredients of a top player is flawless, i mean compare Fabregas, who has it all to Eboue who is markedly deficient in the intelligence/decision makeing part of the game. However, I regret that Wenger in his bid to prove a point, that the kids can dominate/win big, has lost the capacity to win titles for Arsenal (the board is also complicit in this). I mean look at it. The record speaks for itself. The team if focused on one title can probably win, but to focus on 3/4 in a season has got no chance. I won't bother to explain why that is, everyone knows that. The board and Wenger have hidden behind finances as a reason fo their strategy. If Arsenal becomes another Tottenham I don't see how that profits the club. Their argument is flawed, they cannot hold on to the young players when it matters most: when their potential is achieved. The "roof" as Wenger put it; the desire to win and the final factor in proffessional football/sports; money, will lure them away to other clubs. I fear we would continue to see an Arsenal of promise with little results. Surely, something must be done about this. I regret to say that Wenger and the board are rapidly loosing the confidence of the fans, as well as dare I say some of the players.

Posted 16:50 14th August 2008

David Price (Arsenal fan) says...

I would like to say that after reading all of the comments so far I have to agree with everyone that has said that AW is an absolute genius, you just have to look at what he has achieved as manager of arsenal as far as trophies, progress and fan base is concerned. I have been watching AFC since 1982 when we didnt always fill our 50.000+ Highbury, and now we have a brand new state of the art super stadium with 60.000 sell out week in week out with over 175.000 members including 50.000 on the season ticket waiting list, and in my opinion very close tobeing the best team in the world, All this without buying big name world class stars. AW philosiphy is a marathon and not a sprint and I am 100% sure that by 2010 we will be once again virtually unbeatable. Be patient fellow gooners our time is coming once again and the difference now from when we won the title in 2004 is that we will still have a very young team that will dominate for years to come Cesc, RVP, Gael, Kolo, Ade, Denilson, Bac etc etc as opposed to DB Freddie, P Viera TH pires who were coming to the end of their games in terms of tired legs. I have a feeling that the prem knows whats coming, and the rest of europe are watching closely too. Its only a matter of time. ARSENE KNOWS!

Posted 19:04 13th August 2008

Femi Skenky (Arsenal fan) says...

Yeah...Wenger sold Bentley to allow him to progress in his career as footballer..as rightly said it was difficulty for him to get into first team with the likes of Pires and Freddie at that time...but he was not patient enough..he wld have been in the team now...No way will Tottenham be above Arsenal in the league in July...but Wenger knew what potentials Bentley had and he demanded a clause before he was sold...hence Arsenal wld be getting up 7million on his sales for Tottenham...smart move...But we need to get at least one experienced player to balance up with the young and new blood in the team...hopefully we will surprise many like we did last year..

Posted 17:41 13th August 2008

Obaid Sangani (Manchester United fan) says...

i thinks it all about balance, i am all for it for developing young talent but there has to be a balance between yound potential and experienced. If u look back to when arsenal was winning they had a lot more experience as apposed to potential. Man utd seems to be doing it better last season bought in potential and this yr trying to get 1 quality and it been there recent trend. Winning is imp, no one remembers runners up.

Posted 15:46 13th August 2008

Nick M (Arsenal fan) says...

So where exactly does an 18 year old or 19 year old go to once he believes he's got the technical skill, the physical aspect and tactical aspect to succeed as a professional footballer? You have more chance of winning the lottery than making it as a professional footballer when your not signed for a club or academy at an early age. This is the problem that needs to be addressed, as a lot of quality players are wasting away their talent just because no-one else has recognised what great talent they have.

Posted 13:06 13th August 2008

Chris Doe (Arsenal fan) says...

The situation, one that we find ourselves in on a regular basis is that injuries prevent Arsenal fielding their strongest team, and generally speaking the strenght in depth simply isnt there yet. I appreciate that with a number of young players coming through the ranks our long term future is looking very secure but that doesn't help now. Can see the arguements against buying two additional players because what happens when players return from injury and what is the impact to the younger plays opportunity to play. Fact is we need an experienced CM and DC to give us a bit more sustainability in times like these. Why do people keep saying its better to gain a core of english players, frankly i would rather have a core of very good players irrespective of nationality - we are a club side and dont have an overriding obligation to fulfill the needs of the english national team, we did our bit a decade ago and will do so again - other clubs can step in and fill the void.

Posted 09:58 13th August 2008

Greg Ballantine (Arsenal fan) says...

i think that arsene is by far the best manager the only competition is alex ferguson but arsene is smarter with money. bentley was never gona make it at arsenal thats why hes gone to our reserve team (tottenham). wilshire, walcott, ramsey, gibbs all these players have the quality to play in the prem but its how they deal with playing in the premiership. arsene decides on players and the personality and some players have good ambitious personality and some have ego's instead of personalitys and if arsene doesnt like it, then dont expect to play for arsenal. oh and cesc is god!

Posted 21:52 12th August 2008

Dayo Dada (Arsenal fan) says...

To be frank, Arsenal really needs to strengthen the squad with two more experienced players. Both a midfielder and a defender are needed to be able to compete with the likes of man united,chelsea and liverpool. Every other teams that really wants to win silverware have been busy in the transfer window this summer but Arsenal. Ramsey and Nasri are not the messiah we need to win the league or champions league. We need some experience that can rise up to the challenge when it becomes so tight. Man united was able to withstand the pressure on them to win the title just because the team was up to the task and arsenal lost out due to lack of experience and a small squad. It is high time arsenal brought in good and experience players so that we can be back on board. Apart from all these, Arsene Wenger is the best coach in the whole world. Everyone knows that.

Posted 18:01 12th August 2008

Kiirya Isaac (Arsenal fan) says...

wenger is the best coach in the world because he brings up young talents on the map of soccer eg fabrigas,flamini

Posted 16:42 12th August 2008

Joel Francis (Arsenal fan) says...

its getting a bit rididculous now,every year one of our players or maybe even two give a comment to some media reporter telling them that its our year,that we are goin to win the title and look what happens,last season we looked set to do it all but silly decisions meant that we lost everything goin,do not get me stard of the 5-1 to the yids defeat because that showed our stupidty.we need experienced players in our squad if we are gonna win things,not young 2yrs in the squad players,we need world renowned top flight ahtletes in there too.the reason man utd or chelsea do well is because thats what they have the spent good money for these players and have had gd results .arsene will always have a brilliant eye for talent but why should he rely on that year in year out.it hasnt won us a thing,were are financially afloat he was offered 70 milion last year for transfers and he turned it down,another thing change our captain quick thats one of our big problems why cant toure have the badge (one of the hardest workin the league)its sound like im putting the team down but im just a little frutrated cus i love me team but but we are gonna go down bigstyle if we dont change sumthings soon

Posted 16:20 12th August 2008

Andy mcmillan (Arsenal fan) says...

re Mark Thomas; wake up and smell the coffee!!!! all this talk of Arsene not giving English kids a break is rubbish,James harper(reading) Jamie o'hara(tottenham) steve sidwell (villa) Stuart Taylor (just about eveywhere) are just a few of the academy players that were given a chance but didnt make the grade.with all due respect look where they are,not exactly blazing a trail,flying the flag and thumbing theyre noses at arsene from the top tier are they!! admittedly Bentley may be the 1 that got away,but id say that was more to do with wengers dislike 4 egos than anything else.If your good enough and show the right attitude i believe he'll give you a chance,Wilshere is a prime example.Although frustrating at times wengers transfer policy and wage structure only have to be admired,dont get me wrong i'd love a foreign investor with big money and a few big name/big price players to bolster our squad,but at what cost,what will it lead to,chelseas manager merry go round,man u's debt,liverpools instability. A break here and there and a trophy and Wenger will be a genius again,I'm prepared to wait. thanks for listening!!! discuss

Posted 15:32 12th August 2008

Desh Bright (Arsenal fan) says...

i think we need to bring in more experienced players in then i think we can win the league and shut the mouths of people who write us off

Posted 14:18 12th August 2008

Kakande Solomom (Arsenal fan) says...

I understand Arsenal has a brand of young talented prayers who can turn in to big players in the English fraternity but if it was mixture of the like of Henry Thierry,Robert Pirez, Patrick Viera and Dennis Bergkamp, Arsenal would each season come out with a trophy. It would serve better if the Arsenal to continue looking for more young players from England other than basing on foreign players

Posted 14:12 12th August 2008

Clive Harris (Arsenal fan) says...

The reason why wenger sold bentley is because bentley wanted first team football and thought he would develope more playing week in week out. Wenger has stated befor he will never stop a player from developing and if the player thinks it is best to move on he will not step in his way, Bentley was never at his age going to get in the squad in front of freddie or pires so wenger couldnt provide bentley the first team place.

Posted 13:49 12th August 2008

Simeon Barnett (Arsenal fan) says...

Like many people below this comment, I agree that Arsene has transformed Arsenal Football Club. The list of players that he has unearthed is almost never ending. Whilst they have not all ended up gracing Highbury or The Emirates on a weekly basis, they have gone on to make a name for themselves at other clubs. They would not have been the players they are today without Arsene. And he has done this whilst still making a profit for the club. He also knows when to sell. How may players have left AFC under Wenger and gone on to bigger and better things? I can't name many! With regards Mark Thomas, why don't you put a video of your son on U-Tube or some similar site so that we - and possible scouts - can see just how good he is. What have you got to lose?

Posted 13:34 12th August 2008

Jonathan Gibson (Newcastle United fan) says...

I think Wenger is the best manager the Premiership has ever seen. He effectively operates on a shoe string budget (i think he is in profit for his Arsenal career transfer activity), however on his comments about building a young player, i would like to know how many floors has your house got arsene!!! crickey...

Posted 13:13 12th August 2008

Reedwan Hussain (Arsenal fan) says...

Yes I understand we have been trophyless for 3 years but its simply due to the spendingpower of the Chelsea's and the United's which to be honest we will never rival, well atleast untill after all the stadium botheration has finished. What shocked me last season was how we finished mightily close to the top 2 and for that Wenger must be praised.The man is simply the best at bringing up raw talent, he's been doing it ever since he came here n its worked 9 times out of 10. The majority of our players have been one of Wengers hidden gem finds from around the world, that which practicaly built the great 03/04 team. But afterall this is Arsenal and since 97/98 we have been major competitors for the title, I don't know if that status has gone to Chelsea and if we have just become a top 4 team, but we will always want titles and this season will be key.

Posted 13:08 12th August 2008

Graham B (Arsenal fan) says...

Mark you boy isn't good enough it's nothing to do with where you comes from on the pitch a footballer is a footballer, face up to this fact and you might start to see him improve as both of you will be seeing clearer, If he is that good then one of the lower league teams will snap him up and he'll earn a decent wage doing something he loves......or does he is it the money your both chasing if it is then he'll never be good enough all those boys at the top got there because they wanted to win not just have a fat back pocket. Everyone slams Wenger and Arsenal but if you really look at it it's one of the best run clubs in the world, Arsenal are the model to run your club on as it'll work no matter what league your in and when we do start winning again it'll be far more satisfying knowing this rather than being a club that has just had money thrown at it, anyone can do that but Wenger is a master of his science, in Wenger we trust.

Posted 12:24 12th August 2008

Sean Michael (Arsenal fan) says...

Jut Singh, Wenger didnt think bentley was going to become the next Bergkamp because no one can and certainly not Bentley. It was Bentley who thought that one good goal would force wenger to drop Bergkamp & Kanu for him, so get your facts right. Also our academy is now starting to produce technically good 16 year old players which will start to show in couple of years because Arsenal focus on development over winning at youth level unlike other clubs.

Posted 12:04 12th August 2008

Tom Mccreesh (Arsenal fan) says...

Mark Thomas . . . your'e the boys father you are always going to see in your son what you want to see. Has he ever been picked up by a lower league club or been through an academy with someone like Ipswich or Bristol or anyone else you want to name from outside of the premiership? These are the clubs you want to be targetting and at a hell of a lot younger than 17. If he has been offered trials and turned down by lower league clubs than chances are no one in the premiership would ever be interested, likewise if he hasn't even managed to get trials with anyone lower league. at some point you have to realise that clubs aren't seeing what they are looking for in your lad, the whole its because im English line is rubbish, look at how many English lads there are in Arsenal's youth team or anyone else's for that matter. For your sons sake don't set him up to be a victim all his life, if you hadn't insisted on playing this "he's english" card he might of been able to look at his game and work on what was missing rather than being hamstrung by your misguided opinions.

Posted 10:51 12th August 2008
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