Two defenders, three quarters of a keeper and Henry v0.1

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Date	Time	C	Opponent	F	A	R	S
27 Oct	7:45 PM	LC	Liverpool (H)	2	1	Win

The difference between Benitez and Wenger couldn't be clearer yesterday. Rafa had Benayoun and Aquilani on the bench to bring on if he needed to win the game. Wenger had only teenagers. Nobody will ever change Wenger. But it is that attitude that ensures that Arsenal's 19-year-old are so much better on the ball than Liverpool's.

I have to admit that Benitez did surprise me by playing as many young players as he did. I thought the pressure of the last few weeks would have him prioritise take the Carling Cup more higher especially as he would have expected Wenger to have Nasri and Eduardo on the pitch. Anyway, we won even though it was a bit nervy at the end.

It is hard to be negative when we win but I am sure that most Gooners would have noted a few things. Silvestre is a hard and very decisive defender when he commits but it is hard to call him a top quality defender. Senderos seems to have lost so much instead of grown. I remember him putting a man of the match performance against Milan.

He has no pace so he needs a lot of other attributes to compensate. Silvestre seems faster than Senderos! Anyway, what that told me yesterday was Arsenal have only two centrebacks in the squad. An injury to Gallas or Vermaelen and we're in trouble.

Senderos handball was not a penalty because his chest stopped the ball before it hit his hands. That means his hand didn't stop the ball going to goal but I wouldn't criticised the referee if he gave it.

Fabianski was not at fault for the Insua goal. I looked at it three times and Fabianski was well-placed to attack or move if Insua had passed or crossed the ball, which would have been the most logical thing expected of Insua in that situation. Fabianski was at the same time well-placed for a shot. If he was an inch taller he would have saved it and Insua had hit the ball only 1 per cent less perfectly, it would have been saved. It was great strike and Fabianki was not at fault. It was Bendtner who should have stopped him shooting.

However, it is hard not to feel that Arsenal don't have a perfect goalkeeping solution. Between Mannone and Almunia we only have three quarters of what we need. It is not really enough to have three quarters of a goal keeper.

Gilbert and Bendtner had a nightmare first half in my view. I have seen more praise in the papers this morning than they deserved. Gilbert had a much better second half when he had calmed down and did some useful work against Babel. Eduardo doesn't look like he can do 90 minutes yet. But there were some eye-catching performances.

Ramsey might well fulfil my prediction. I have written that he will be better than Gerrard when he is 25. Merida is a thinking and adventurous player. He has a lot of urgency and I like that. He is also much stronger than I thought. I have seen only two matches with Eastmond and I have to admit he came a little bit out of the blue for me yesterday.

You can make a much more reliable prediction about the future of a player from his composure than his skill. I have not seen that much composure from a young player since Cesc. Not even Wilshere has it. He sees a lot and releases very early. I loved that! But it was only one game so we have to wait and see.

Being English is a disadvantage in these situations as the expectation will be so enormous that soon Wenger will be blamed for the not playing him and soon he might start believing it and leave and ruin his education. So I don't want to start going on about him but I was very surprised almost shocked. I expected Coquelin, whom I rate, to be there.

With these kinds of young players, 4-3-3 might be a turning point in Arsenal for the next decade. It allows Merida and Ramsey to be on the pitch at the same time.

But my pick of the day did not appear in the papers. Sanchez Watt. Latin first name and English inventor second name but reminds me of certain Frenchman.

Last week, after I wrote a little paragraph about the reserves game against Wolves where I mentioned Watt, I went back to the archives and looked at all highlights of games that Sanchez Watt played in last season on Arsenal TV. That kid might end of being the most exciting of all the young players.

He is sharp and sudden in attack, very quick and can finish with an incredible coolness. There was a brief moment in the game against Liverpool where he showed that in the box. His confidence, size and power are also growing.

Sanchez Watt is Henry version 0.1. Version 0.5 will be released by the end of 2010.

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