Cesc spoke yesterday and encapsulated everything that we have been saying in one press conference:

We have a short squad and we are very young. Behind me Denilson and [Alexandre] Song play, and they are 20. [Theo] Walcott is 19 and [Samir] Nasri is 21. Can you imagine I’m the oldest midfielder? Winning will be tough for us because we are not experienced.

Winning is tough in any arena, not just football, but there is a decent fist being made of it, the team sitting fourth, four points off the pace is a nice position to be in. Of course, it could, and should, have been better but there is no use in crying over spilt milk.

Anyway back to young Fabregas. It is somewhat incredulous when you think of him as the oldest player but not necessarily a bad thing for age brings experience, in his case anyway. He made it clear that he misses Flamini and Hleb, in particular, although that is through friendship as much as the playing side. In the case of the latter, time will tell but I believe Arsene has found a more direct replacement. It struck me last night that the Belarus team that took on England suffered from ‘Hlebism‘ at times when they passed rather than shot – although they managed plenty of those in the first half – so it is a football culture issue by the looks of things.

Fabregas’ comments about the policy of promoting from within are open to interpretation:

Arsene Wenger has crystal clears ideas, there aren’t two like him. He doesn’t want to spend money as he prefers to trust youngsters. His idea is that Walcott can’t develop if you sign Cristiano [Ronaldo].

It is not a ringing endorsement but not outright criticism either, diplomacy has long been a virtue that the Spaniard has held with his media dealings. Perhaps he is a little unsure of it, that would certainly be my view of the overall tone of the comments, wanting to wait until the season is over before passing detailed analysis of whether it is right or wrong. I am not as convinced as others seem to be that he is frustrated, more a little unsure, perhaps aware of the responsibilities that are placed on his shoulders in terms of being the fulcrum of the team.

It is interesting that he thinks the team are more direct this season. Perhaps that is true in that the flanks are more readily utilised to stretch a defence and when Eboue, Walcott and Nasri are in situ, there is less desire to come inside rather than work the width of the pitch.

The supposed weakness in midfield has not materialised thus far – hints of it shown at times – but overall, Denilson has stepped in well, taking his chance in light of Diaby’s absence. Whether the Frenchman will now step forward as he returns to fitness remains to be seen. His record suggests that he cannot be relied upon yet, a full season injury-free has not been produced. As this campaign progresses, Diaby needs to be available in order to allow Arsene to fully utilise the squad and prevent fatigue becoming an issue as the games come on a more frequent basis between now and the New Year.

Patrick Vieira though has no doubt that Cesc will be a ’star’ of the game – if he is not one already – but added a proviso to that:

He is one of the best. In the years to come he can be at the top. I think if the club matches the same desire as the player, then why not?

It is a big if but not also the only factor that must come into play; consistency and luck in equal measure will play a part in any success enjoyed.

Martin Keown noted that the fact that the current squad is being filled with youth players being promoted is a good thing:

The current crop are brilliant, I think if you can get a young group that come through the system together, they really love the Club – like I’ve always done – and they retain that. Maybe they also give that bit extra.

It is certainly an advantage to have players who feel some ‘loyalty’ (for want of a better word) to the club. Perhaps there is more desire to win if you have come through the ranks although I am not sure of that. Keown went on:

The future looks very bright for Arsenal, but it’s about ‘can they win something?’. I don’t care what it is, but any trophy. It breeds the winning mentality.

That is the biggest hurdle I think that the squad has; the first trophy. Once that is in the cabinet, then a mental barrier has been overcome. They have the talent and proving to themselves that they can win things will make things seem a lot more straightforward.

’til Tomorrow.