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Arsenal must set priorities Posted: Thursday March 06, 2003 8:34 AM
Do you think that Arsenal is strong enough to win the treble this year?
I think that Arsenal "are" strong enough to win the treble, but I don't think they will do it. There will have to be priorities down the stretch and I believe the gunners will come up short in their attack on three fronts. They still need one or two more seasons before maturing into European Cup winners, while their chase for glory in Europe as well as in the Premiership might mean they will not see the FA Cup as a priority.
What is your opinion about the last results of Real Sociedad in the Spanish League?
Maria, I see the last results of Real Sociedad as an indication of their lack of depth. I never expected them to win the title because they just do not have the necessary wide range of players to cover for the starters when they are suspended or hurt. We have seen that recently. When Nihat Kahveci, Xavi Alonso and Darko Kovacevic missed games, they struggled to keep up with their opponents. Three defeats in five matches have now left them looking up at Real Madrid in the table.
Hello, Pedro! I understand you're a great enthusiast of promising young players, so I was wondering: are you familiar with the Brazilian duo Diego and Robinho, who currently play for Santos? They have been regarded as the most impressive assets of Brazilian football last season and are now proving that it wasn't just luck.
I am familiar with both of those players, and I am sure that in one or two years they will be making their move over to Europe. Robinho in particular impressed me with his overall skills. He reminds me of Denilson, especially when it comes down to dribbling, and he may even be faster than the Real Betis forward. A lot of credit has to go to the Santos manager Emerson Leao who was able to nourish his young players and create a championship-winning side.
Question:
In reference to your article about Arsenal winning the Premier League this season: Would you agree that it is a sign of a strong league if there are consistent tight-fought battles for the championships?
I look at the various leagues around and see that strong leagues like La Liga, Serie A and The Premier League almost always have close fought league races while weaker leagues like the Scottish Premier, German Bundesliga (lately) do not.
Yes I do agree that a tight-fought championship is a sign of a strong league. For me, the Spanish League is the strongest and there you have the top four teams separated by only three points right now. There is a close race in England as well and I am happy about that because for a few seasons there was not much balance there. I was getting a bit tired of watching Manchester United running away with the title every year. As far as Scotland, there is no balance whatsoever... but in Germany (besides this year) there has always been a tight race to the finish and I think that is a fun league to follow.
Hi Pedro. Being Portuguese, I must ask you this: Do you think the two Portuguese teams in the UEFA CUP have any chances of winning the trophy? Especially Porto. They are playing some great football, in the Portuguese league and in the UEFA CUP.
Jorge, I believe Porto is one of the top teams in Europe at the moment and for me they are one of the favorites to win the UEFA Cup. I just saw them beat Benfica and I have to say that I continued to be impressed by their never say die attitude. Manager Jose Mourinho learned his trade well with Sir Bobby Robson and is now a magnificent young manager. They have a formidable young team with Deco and Helder Postiga shining brightly. As far as Boavista, they don't have the quality needed to triumph in the competition. They might be too busy fighting relegation in the Superliga.
As with regards to the title race I tend to disagree with you when it comes to choosing this year's winner. Ferguson has proved he is a winner with a team of champions time and time again. Unfortunately, Arsenal have proved they are a team of champions with a lack of focus at the helm. I believe Wenger tends to count his chickens before they are hatched and allows his team to always peak too early whilst Manchester seem to always play well when it counts most.
Of course Manchester United can never be counted out of the championship race, but I just believe Arsenal are stronger. About Arsene Wenger, he does talk a little too much in the press, but I think he is extremely shrewd and knows very well what he is doing. He is as good if not better than Sir Alex Ferguson. Right now, Arsenal have more hunger to succeed than United, whose players have been a bit spoiled by all the titles they have won in the last decade.
I was wondering what you meant about Liverpool not being able to maximize their potential. They should play with three attackers and three midfielders. Diao, Gerrard and Murphy/Cheyrou. Their attack should be Doiuf, Owen and Heskey/Baros! I have to agree thats either Arsenal or Man Utd who are going to win EPL. It hurts me because I am a Liverpool fan!
Do you think they'll have a chance in the near future?
They will definitely have a chance in the future, but I think Gerard Houllier has to be a little less predictable tactically. He has been playing his 4-4-2 for over two seasons now and teams have learned how to counter it. If I was liverpool manager, I would immediately try to implement an alternate playing style. I personally think that a 3-5-2 would work well at Anfield with two wing-backs. I also believe that Emile Heskey and Vladimir Smicer should be offloaded and Milan Baros should get more of a run up front. Pedro Pinto is an anchor for World Sport, the international sports show that airs on CNN International.
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