Wenger said the average age on the pitch was 22.5 years, and if you included the bench it was 20 years. If it got much younger Wenger would have been throwing foetuses on the pitch.

When I heard the team sheet, no Gallas and no Toure, or put another way Senderos and Song the centre backs, I did fear we might get a poor result. After all the Cats did beat those perennial top four candidates, the mighty Tottenham, one nil on the first day of the season. Keane doesn't accept second best from his team so I did not expect an easy match.

 

It was a good result, and a great goal by Walcott, this is the kind of Wengaball I love. Forget plan B; forget running around in circles until the team disappears up its own backside. Just give a defence splitting ball and finish like Anelka. Sunderland pressed hard and made more chances than Arsenal, but they didn't have a Walcott, and Fabianski had a very good game. Matches improve players, and the Arsenal second keeper has improved.

How close it was, how close

Arsenal finished only two points behind Chelsea, and four behind Manchester United.  Eighty three points is far better than the last two seasons, and we have in the past won the Premiership with less. The Invincibles won 26 games, this team 24, and when you take into account that the bulk of those wins occurred in the first two thirds of the season it's not a bad achievement.  Losing three games, but none at home was fatal. Two of those games were against the top two. Ironically you could say that our victory against Chelsea cost them the title, and that Utd's victory against us won them the title.

The Future's Bright But Stats Prove Bugger ALL - How I changed my Mind

At the beginning of the season I said to a fellow Gunner I didn't think we could win the Premiership because we had only finished fourth, and that is not a platform to win the league from. The stats show that teams who win the league are usually runners up, or at least third, the previous season. But my friend replied stats mean nothing, records are there to be broken.

By the beginning of February I had changed my mind, we were on our way, the stats showed it. No club had won so many games by that stage and not gone on to win the league. Wrong again.

However I will contradict myself, I still think 3^rd is a better platform for an assault on the title. Defeat can be the prelude to victory, if Arsenal had not lost the FA Cup to Liverpool they might never have gone on to the second double. It is not just a matter of stats, this team showed that it can compete with the best, in the end it missed not by a mile, but by inches. Wenger and his youngsters will have learnt far more from this defeat than any victory.

The next year is for those with courage, is it just me that felt after the Milan victory one or two players dipped in form? Well if their heart is not in it they should feck off.

This claim that inexperience cost us doesn't sit too well with me, some of the biggest cock ups came from players who were old enough to know better. But enough looking back, we have had a good run with quite a few seniors missing. Wenger will buy a few more experienced players, and Bendtner and Walcott are beginning to develop. The future is looking good.

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