When you ask any Arsenal fan why they go and watch their team, they’d say it would be watch them win. However, coming in a close second place would be to see the Gunners play good football, see a match that was entertaining and in which Arsenal players’ skill came to the fore.
Arsenal are one of the best teams in the Premier League to watch and when Arsene Wenger’s team are at their best they are extremely easy on the eye and you could even describe some of their play are artistic. The way they pass and move and open up opposition defences with ease is a joy to watch, especially when it ends up with Arsenal putting the ball in the back of the net.
One man who scored hundreds of times for the Gunners is Arsenal legend Ian Wright. Ian Wright, Wright, Wright may not have been the most aesthetically pleasing of players to watch, but boy did he know where the goal was. Now Wright is looking into the thin line that exists between football and a form of art: dance.
Ian Wright has swapped his boots for dance shoes and become the director a group of performers in a short film exploring the common ground that exists between football and dance. Created for the New Thinker’s Index – an interactive digital experience which aims to challenge the way people think – the short film shows tap, capoeira, gymnasts, break and street dancers come together with Ian to combine their disciplines with football skills.
Wright had this to say about the experience: “The New Thinker’s Index challenge got me thinking in a completely new way – in football you think about your footwork, but the aim is to score a goal or win the ball; this made me think about the new possibilities with a football, focusing more on the aesthetics and rhythm. The skills you need for both disciplines really complement each other – the dancers would make great footballers and I reckon footballers would benefit from a few tap or capoeira lessons to add a whole new dimension to their game.”
I’m not sure that Robin van Persie will be taking up dancing lessons anytime soon, but maybe he’ll appear on Strictly Come Dancing once he’s had enough of banging in the goals for the Gunners. Take a look at the video below to see Ian Wright directing his troops and the synonymy between football and dance…
What you said in your article is 100 percent correct. Wenger plays the same negative game in every game. There is no game plan to outwit the opponents. His assistants are no better. He should get Tony Adams as defensive coach, Dennis Berkamp as coach for attack. Arsenal players are afraid to dribble and run with the ball.