You cannot achieve success without the risk of failure. If you fear failure, you will not reach that success.
If you can learn from your failures, then you have a chance ….
It was fascinating to see how some of Arsenal’s youngsters coped with the experience of Anfield.
Beating Watford and being told how good you are is one thing. It’s not when things are going well that you learn about a person, it’s when they have to deal with adversity that defines you.
Who responds?
Who fights?
Who gives up?
More experienced Gunners squad than this version has gone to the red half of Merseyside and melted the moment Liverpool scored.
It’s our yearly tradition.
Lokonga was taken off straight after the score went to 2-0.
Partly due to being booked but mainly the number of times he was giving the ball away (although not the only guilty party).
Tavares as the evening progressed could no longer make the basic of passes.
It was like the 1st Space Jam Movie where the Aliens steal the Basketball players talent, suddenly quality individuals not able to do the fundamentals.
Both were part of our transfer policy of signings being under the age of 23.
That’s means inconsistencies are natural, mistakes are to be expected and given they played in Belgium and Portugal respectively, they are still learning Football at this level.
So, Saturday might help them in the long term. It could be the experience needed that motivates them next time.
Mr Wenger once said the best sports people don’t remember the wins, but can’t forget the losses.
Simply because it’s the losses that educate you.
In a strange way our youngsters ‘could’ learn as much from being humiliated 4-0 as they would have had if they had got a result.
I say ‘could’ because that will come down to the coaching they receive.
Arteta’s track record is not consistent when it comes to his man management.
There are players that the moment Arteta felt they didn’t suit his ethos he paid them to sit at home (Ozil, Sokratis).
There are those currently on loan for not being able to follow instructions (Guendouzi).
There are other youngsters who he seems to have given up on (Martinelli, Nketiah, etc).
With Tierney fit again, Tavares can be taken out of the firing line against Newcastle, while Maitland Niles might now deserve a chance to partner Partey.
They need an arm around the shoulder though.
My fear is though that it’s easier to focus on the youth who made errors instead of our senior players looking in a mirror (including our boss).
As much as Tavares is aware that he played his peers into trouble, are Aubameyang or Lacazette looking at their leadership skills?
Is anyone asking them why they were not ordering their teammates to try something new, when it was clear that we couldn’t beat Liverpool’s press?
I hope Arteta doesn’t just put his energy into the errors made but takes accountability for tactics that involved parking the bus and not having a plan B once we conceded, with all subs being like for like.
The trick in life is to not get carried away when people are praising you, but equally not to get too low when things go not so well.
Our youngsters have had a lot praise in our 10-game unbeaten run.
The weekend was a reality check.
They go into training battered, humbled and not as confident.
Yet they might be wiser and mentally stronger for the experience…
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Dan Smith
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