http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2006/12/07/sfnsmi07.xml Resilience bodes well for Wenger's young students By Alan Smith Last Updated: 2:33am GMT 07/12/2006 For Arsenal, qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League was never about money. There was more to it than that. While the extra cash, granted, doesn't go amiss in helping to pay the huge mortgage on their sprawling new home, there was more riding on last night's game than mere pounds, shillings and pence. Finishing the job in Porto was about prestige, about being seen breaking bread at Europe's top table. They say Arsene Wenger knows. Well, the Frenchman knew for sure that his side couldn't afford to drop out of this exclusive clique too soon if his young players were going to develop in the way he would like. So, as this competition gives way to domestic disputes for a while, Arsenal having progressed with the draw required, a key question lingers: are the club any better equipped this season to go one better than last? Could they reach the final again and actually win it this time? Walking away from the Estadio do Dragao, the Arsenal contingent probably wouldn't have held out much hope. It had been a nervous night of caution and uncertainty for an understrength team peppered with youngsters learning their trade. Emmanuel Eboue and Gael Clichy suffered anxious moments as the bag of tricks that is Ricardo Quaresma and the lively Lisandro Lopez ran at the full-backs with a fair degree of success. advertisement Up the other end, Emmanuel Adebayor was discovering just how hard it could be playing up front on his own. Try as he might, the rangy forward couldn't get near repeating his north London derby heroics. Mind you, he wasn't on his own. Even Gilberto, the most experienced Arsenal man on view, gave the ball away in some dicey positions. Last term's memorable victories over Juventus and Real Madrid seemed a long time ago for a team evolving just now into a different kind of animal. Shorn of Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires, Wenger has adjusted his strategy in a clear attempt to suit the players at his disposal, often playing five in midfield and only one up front. Without Thierry Henry and resting Robin Van Persie with Sunday's scrap against Chelsea in mind, Wenger played this same system again. It is a shape that can tear teams apart when all the moving parts are oiled. For solid proof witness the stunning performances at Manchester United and Reading this season. Alternatively, this same set of players can look terribly vulnerable. Fortunately, though, you don't often get bruising occasions in Europe like the one endured at Bolton recently. Nor do you face a limited but highly motivated outfit like Fulham coming at you full pelt — battles that Arsenal still haven't found a way of safely navigating. Champions League football, however, is an altogether more technical test requiring oodles of talent and no little patience; a test that Arsenal, on their day, can pass with straight As. In all honesty, C minus would better describe goings-on here. Le professeur admitted as much afterwards. Wenger will be looking for a marked improvement after half term. On that score, so much depends on the form and attitude of his captain, Henry. On his day this talismanic striker can transform the side into world-beaters. Spearheading the talent that lies just behind, who knows where the Pied Piper can lead his men. On the negative side, if he decides to have a sulk, everyone suffers. Still, all that conjecture can wait for another day. For the seventh year in succession, Arsenal have done enough to mix with the elite. And while this version may be more a work in progress than the finished article, they could still make a mark if they get on a roll. 看枪手昨晚在波尔图的比赛，开赛十多分钟我就开始担心 原因是枪手打得太保守，加上现在这批中後场球员心理素质不是很稳定 看得出来有些球员心理好像在挂念着周末对契尔西的比赛，实力保留的有点太多 两个边後卫都不敢上前助攻，使得永伯与Hleb在传球上少了一个选择 阿德打球也是有点懒散，即使他拿住球，中场推前去支援他的速度也不够快 至於後卫线的表现，我真的是看得很紧张，看到九如那样把球搞丢都骂出口来 还好门柱把Quaresma的射门给挡下... 如果是03-04赛季那条不败防线，面对Porto想打平的话应该问题不大 但是现在这批年轻的枪手们，如果温格要他们只拿八成功力，到时发挥的可能就只剩六成 我会这麽说，是因为类似情形大家应该也看过 上季作客Villareal也是打平就可以晋级，结果过於谨慎的心理，加上在联赛要争第四 结果发挥的反而不理想，还好最终是莱曼顶住压力扑下点球 现在就希望亨利能在休息六周後，在一月能回到最佳的状态 这支兵工厂真的需要一个fresh且sharp的亨利 --

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