There is no doubt that Arsene Wenger has mellowed over the years and I am one of those who has changed dramatically from disliking the man with some fervour to admiring and respecting him greatly.
His record as a manager and in particular, of bringing on young players, speaks for itself. The way his teams play the game also speaks volumes for a man who likes to see the game played in the right way. His players keep possession, keep the ball on the deck and pass and move in intricate patterns that a joy to watch.
Refusal
The downsides to Wenger are his stubbornness in doing things his way and his refusal to bring in big names for vast amounts of money and his infamous tunnel vision that means he is always able to see bad decisions and fouls against his players but never able to see any of the misdemeanours committed by players in an Arsenal shirt.
Now, at long last Mr Wenger has admitted what everyone knew already. He did see things sometimes!
“At times I saw it, and I said I didn’t to protect the player. It’s because I could not find any rational explanation to defend him. This is a job where you have to have an optimistic view of human nature or you become paranoid. You always have to think that a guy wants to do well. A coach is there to help. He must think that if he helps in the correct way the players will respond. You cannot be suspicious.”
Whilst it is refreshing to hear Wenger speak the truth and also a basically good thing that he does what he needs to do to protect his players, I do take issue with what he says to a certain degree.
Criticising
I agree with him that, “this is a job where you have to have an optimistic view of human nature or you become paranoid. You always have to think that a guy wants to do well.†Where I don’t agree is that the manager can only think that about his own players. Mr Wenger has never been slow in criticising in the strongest possible terms, players from other teams. I do not remember him having an optimistic view of Martin Taylor, or the entire Stoke side!
One thing that Wenger talked about recently was particularly refreshing. The rumour that he was going to leave Arsenal to take over at Real Madrid was very strong indeed at one stage. It now seems that the move was a distinct possibility and that Wenger had to consider his options. What he decided again speaks volumes for the other side of the man. His integrity.
“I knew what Real Madrid wanted to do but I didn’t want to leave Arsenal. I want to go to the end of my job here. I built this team, I want to deliver with this team and I feel that if I left I would in some way have betrayed my beliefs. It is nothing to do with what Real Madrid have done. I just couldn’t see leaving this team at this stage of their development.”
In an age where stardom, celebrity and money seem to be all that people in football want, how nice it is to hear someone speaking like that. Loyalty, integrity and a determination to see a job through are fairly rare virtues it would seem in the modern game. Wenger has them in abundance and Arsenal fans should be grateful that he has.
Revolutionising
The fifty-nine year old Frenchman has been at Arsenal for thirteen years now and he has played a large part in revolutionising the way players in England treat the game. The training methods and lifestyles of the modern English footballer are very different to those found by him when he arrived at Arsenal and he is owed a huge debt of thanks for that.
He is part of the Premier League fabric and I hope he continues to be so for many years. Like him or loathe him, you have to admire what he has achieved. The Premier League would miss him greatly.
Having said that, I bet most Gooners would still like him to get his chequebook out!
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