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Then quit Arsenal, take over the France national team and make international football relevant again. If you choose not to accept that challenge - then keep your mouth shut.

"...the proliferation of smaller states was partially to blame for the downfall of the international scene."

Translation: England, France, Germany and Itally actually have to EARN their spots in international competitions, instead of just mailing in performances until the main tournament starts. And then, they actually have to worry about the upstart CONCAFAF, African or Asian teams.

It's not just a Europe vs. South America thing anymore.

Oh well he's the God of football. Roll over and let the young guys run the deal. Why don't you?

wouldn't the proliferation of smaller states make it more relevant (as more teams are competitive), not less?

I think it's the most logical next step for Arsene...He should be the next manager of the NT...Domenech is inept

That was a puzzling rant by Wenger. Usually he makes sense but not there. Too many countries mean it's bad for soccer? Russia breaking up is bad? If Maradona had been born in Luxembourg, he still would've been the best player in the world because he would've still played for a huge club team. Nobody doubts Giggs' credentials, either. It's odd, though I'm impressed he speaks 7 languages.

Arsene Wenger needs to take over the FFF after he's through with arsenal. france just got whipped by Austria (altough i like austria) but the point is france should not lose in vienna 3-1 with the talent they have on that team

I think on some level he has a valid point if I interpet this correctly. With globalization and leagues so filled with various nationalities, some of the luster is removed from internationals because we so regularly see players from different countries competing against each other. Some of the uniqueness of international play has faded.

I agree kopper, but if that is true like it already has been said that only makes it more competitive and more interesting, look at Ghana or Australia in the WC or Turkey and Russia in the Euro, or how about right now Argentina and Brazil aren't the leaders in the CONMEBOL. I personally think it makes things better and more interesting. Today in any sport things have dramatically changed, players are a lot faster and more athletic and makes for more entertaining futbol, who wants to see the same 2 or 3 teams/countries winning over and over, year after year.

Maybe I just like to root for the little guy or underdog.

Arsene Wenger ....... why don't you go coach in Mongolia so we can forget about you and your big mouth for a while!

who cares what an overfed manager in a foreign country thinks?
Important are only the fans. The fans LOVE international competition. It is much more important for them than club football!
Why?
Because it is much purer. The success in international football is only determined by the talent and willpower of the homegrown players. No money to buy a team of foreign superstars!
That is why fans love it! They can identify with their national team - something that isn't really true anymore for club football.

And Mr Wenger: you are are part of the problem. You are one of the factors destroying the fascination of cnational football. So please shut the **** up.

England (for example) has a very bad national team because manangers like Wenger don't groom homegrown talent. Instead they buy some full grown foreign player.

Arsene Wenger is right, international football is not revelant today but for different reasons.
The first one is the way to select the teams for the world cup for example. someone really believe that australia, or some asians teams are a part of the 32 best teams in the world. This first selection is unfair for a team in Europe for example.

The second reason is the schedule of international competitions. Always at the end of the season, exactly when the best players have 80 games in the legs. Someone really believe that 4 years ago greece was the best team in Europe ? Clearly no, but what happened is that these players played only 40 gaes during the season. Why Russia did so well ? One reason, the competition was right in the middle of the Russian Championship.
So yes, the level of play in the champions league for example is much better.

An about Arsene Wenger...it's unfair to him to say that he buys full grown talent without grooming homegrown talent. Who knows Henry, Anelka, Sagna, Eboue, Fabregas before their career at Arsenal. And about England, the best talent for England, Theo Walcott is playing for Arsenal.
The real problem for England is that they don't have the system to recruit real young players and to make them play in young and competitive leagues like what you have in France or Spain.
So yes, nobody like a french coach who comes in England and do better than the others, but right now, Arsene Wenger is one of the best coach and best manager in the world and Arsenal was jst an below average team before him

I think international football has become better and better. Its not longer 5 European countries and 2 South American countries.

What a blind rant. Is this all because France lost to Austria? If so then coach your country and have them play like Arsenal the way they should. Domenech should be teaching math or science somewhere rather than coaching a team that has so much talent Austria shoudn't even come close to getting a goal against them. International footbal is just fine--the Maradona rant makes no sense at all.

France lost against Austria and so What ? Italy nearly lost against Cyprus, it is the begining of the season and the first international game in a new 4 years cycle and it is in French soccer history to be bad in qualifications games.

And just one wor about Domenech, only two coaches brought France to a world cup final and Domenech was one of them. He doesn't like talking to the media so the media don't like him and make him worse than he is.
And another reminder, just befre the world cup in 1998, the media loved to say that Aim??e Jacquet was a bad ocach and that France didn't have a chance to win and everybody knows the result.

And yes, no more Europe against south America ? Just check the past world cup winners; at least since 1994 : Brazi against Italy, France against Brazil, Brazil against Germany and Italy against France. 8 finalists and only 4 different teams. So just tell me where are the teams from Asia or central America or even north America.
Yes soccer is all about Europe and South America and today the most difficult competition in the international football is the european championship because you don"t have an easy game like an exotic team like saoudia, togo, australia, costa rica, China, ecuador,...

Dudes...chill out

seriously! It's from Goal.com, which means its total garbage. They manufacture total lies and sensationalization's which hold no truth..... routinely. If you haven't gotten that by now, well, then you truly are special.

Define IRONY: a French football manager, currently managing in England, complaining about there being too many foreign managers in English football.

Classic.

And as for the line about the proliferation of less storied national programs into the international game, Mr. French can go to hell.

U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A.!!

Define IRONY : USA and Soccer;..

You can yell USA when you talk about a lot of sports, but when you are talking about soccer..it only males me laugh. Yes soccer is stronger today in the US than before, but please, look at the depth in the national team and where the best players are. Or just for fun watch european leagues, you will see that the gap is still huge.
Just find me one player in the US national team who has the level to play in one of the european or south american powerhouses.

I am not saying that the US are bad or something like this, but you have to be realistic, the US have their best team right now, but come on, there is no way the US can compete with the best teams in the world and they will never compete with a country where soccer is like football in the US : germany, France, Italy, England, Brazil, Argentina or spain.

Oh yes, about Wenger, just take a look to the players who played for him and when they started in Arsenal, you will see what a real manager is and that winning in soccer doesn't mean buying the most expensive players, soccer is not football, you can't buy championships. chelsea tried..No champions league since the beginning of the Abramovich era.

The US will never compete with European powers in soccer
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I thought we tied Argentina about a month ago.

Didn't we just tie Spain a few months ago?

Weren't we the only ones to even tie (and one offiside away from beating) Italy in WC06?

Did we not give Germany fits in the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Korea/Japan in 2002?

Someone tell me that these things didn't happen so I can believe we don't compete. I believe the USA is one dynamic striker, one left-back and one creative mid away from being consistently good.

If it matters, Jozy Altidore just scored a hat-trick for Villareal in a friendly. Take that as you may.

@xerios

have you slept through the EC?

Seriously, have you seen France there? Their horrible games? Their early exit?

They only qualified for the EC with sheer luck and bombed out in a humiliating way. And now 'it is the first game in a 4 year cycle'? No. It is another bad game of a bad team against an opponent who at least showed the will to win. Something really missing from France. Missing like good tactics. Missing like technical ability. Missing like fitness. The only thing France has is a lot of years. Yeah, old age will win you games, right?