Looking back over the 16 years of Arsene Wenger’s reign at the helm of affairs at the red and white half of north London, I mean the only part of north London, I must say that I commend the Frenchman’s work in unearthing, developing and establishing world-class players in his tenure. Talents such as Vieira, Henry, Bergkamp, Henry, Cole, Anelka, Toure, Fabregas, Adebayor, Song, Flamini, Van Persie just to name a few have all come from the unknown and blossomed under the gaffer.
I was not surprised at him being awarded the Coach of the Decade a while ago as he has shown time and time again how exceptional he is at nurturing raw talent and making them the cynosure of all eyes in the soccersphere.
No doubt the world was right in accepting that Arsenal Football Club had the best coach of the last decade. I must point out that coaching is more about grooming and mentoring raw potential until they begin to perform at their very best. Wenger has done this and is still continuing to do so, especially when you consider the likes of Wojciech, Jack, Theo and Kozzer.
The job of a manager as it were in comprises not only of grooming players to be the best like Le Prof does, but also of managing the squad and team tactically when they are out on the field. Simply put, the tactical and coaching aspects are the two most important jobs of a football manager.
The tactical aspect entails managing the team before, during and after games and this is one area of a manager’s duties I find very intriguing, delicate and dynamic. Though Arsene may have and is still excelling as a coach, I am not so impressed with the tactical depth of his game.
I was quite shocked to hear that Fabregas, our one time captain, utter the statement that Wenger never studies his opponents, nor does he read their playing pattern. In retrospect, when did you last see Mr. Wenger at an upcoming opponent’s game?
As we all know, the knowledge of an adversary’s strengths and weaknesses is one sure way or advantage to get the best out of him. Little wonder tactically sound managers always prove to the canon fodder for Wenger’s guns.
Let’s go through some of Le Prof’s tactical displays. I begin with the Man United return leg at the Grove when he chose to substitute Ox-Chambo, our most influential player on the day, for Arshavin, who seemed disinterested and his lacklustre performance eventually cost us the game. Not looking too far back, our 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Barcelona at the Camp Nou was another one in which Wenger complained, but yet he didn’t take into account that our decimated squad didn’t have what it took to play the way we were lined up. Sagna stated that Arsene should have taken an altogether different approach since we had lots of key injuries prior to the return leg. We had lost players in the defensive and central parts of the team, yet Wenger went with no plan to cover the gaping holes the injuries created. A formation that should have been arranged to stifle the opposition, as opposed to the open approach, should’ve been employed.
The Bear have been saying this for quite awhile now! Added to this failure to take note at the condition of the pitch to know what players to field n attaching style.
The bear is well thick then man, if bear think this shit.
too some extent you maybe right but that is to a lower extent.you don’t judge someone over day and say they are tactically incompetent,wenger has and always will be a great manager with all round capabilities as evidenced during his tenure here at arsenal through thick and thin wenger has always done a marvelous job and long may he do.In wenger we trust!p.s wenger has brought this club greatness and all its worldclass status is all due because of him
Spot on in a lot of what you say.
More people need to look at stuff like this, then just call for Wenger to buy more players every season.
I seriously believe Wenger had the best squad of players for about 5 years prior to this one, and won absolutely nothing. Injuries had something to do with it of course, but mostly it was the tactical inflexibility.
Also the complete blindness to look at how some players like Clichy,Hoyte,Almunia,Silvestre and in some cases Walcott and Bendtner were not performing at the consistent level required and were harmful to a team already hamstrung by poor tactics and organizaation.
It makes you mad to see United winning title after title with 40 year olds and players like Fletcher,Carrick. While we had absolutely quality like Wilshere,Fabregas,Nasri and won nothing. THe Barcelona game at home was a true indicator that quality wise we were there, only thing missing was tactics.
The dream ticket for Arsenal would be Wenger as Director of football and Guardiola as manager. That would be the absolute pinnacle.
Another FFM player I see. Time for bed young lady.
Well well well Akin with your excellent knowledge of tactics are you going for the next england manager !!!!!
Ridiculous. You do not go a whole season unbeaten if you are not up to the mark tactically. For every instance of Wenger getting a tactical decision wrong I will give you one that Ferguson has got wrong, or Mourinho or any other manager you care to mention.
I would appreciate any manager that tries to tweak his team and gets its wrong as opposed to one that does not. No one knows it all and AW definitely does no. With respect to AW, I have only pointed out his strength and weaknesses, other managers may have a better handle of tactics but they come nobwhere to him coaching wise. How come our success years ended after the david dein years. Mind you the crop of those winning years players came through Dein, so quit tripping, its easier to execute projects with quality materials. Less quality materials will call on all your skills to execute including tactical ability
Akin Nathan, You must be the best coach in the world ( in your mind, that is). For you to say the things you have said, you have to be. But you know, you know nothing about football! Something tells me you have never even kicked the round leather.
The two instances you propelled to buttress your point that AW is a tactically deficient coach betray your own piteous deficient level football understanding. Let me just ask you a couple of questions: What were the caliber of players available Wenger for the games you have chosen to discuss as against the ones fielded by the opposition? Were you expecting a horribly depleted Arsenal side to overcome the very best team in the world that had no single injury concern? Sincerely? How many coaches today have the tactical experience to propel the kind of amazing come-backs that Arsenal has of recent been churning out? With injury concerns that were assuming phenomenal levels, Arsenal has still managed to present make-shift squads that have managed to beat some of the better sides that boast of some of the best players in the epl. does that look like the achievement of a tactically deficient coach to you?
Bro, be serious!!!
The same thing that tells you I have not kicked the round leather before should tell you about Arsene Wenger himself whether he really did kick the object as well, Mourinho too, Villas Boas as well yet the latter two have gotten trophies you are still dreaming of. Like someone said, SAF is winning trophies with 40year olds and the Carricks and Fletcher. Mind you manure picks lots of injuries too yet they win, should that not give u food for thought. Quit telling me AW knows it all, we’ve all got strengths and weaknesses. if a manager responds in Tactically sound manner and he loses, what is there to do? Its annoying when a manager does nothing tacticlly sound to the extent the whole world can see and you’re ok with that PLEASE, a spade for me is a spade not a farming instrument
When you complain bout the players, who bought the players? Me? Or you? C’mon m8, if Fab and Bac could come out and make those statements then you better know those lads aint satisfied with Something deep
This article is aimed at and written by fantasy football manager playing 12 year olds.
Utter garbage from start to finish. This blog is low grade too, time for the old hide button on Newsnow.
Be objective and state your case, you’re obviously one of the ARSENE KNOWS BEST fans
failed article
How? State. Your points and be objective
I think i will stop reading this blog and switch to arseblog/goonerholic
REad your article which is absolute tosh in my honest opinion.
You have cherry picked a couple of games to bash Wenger with.
Are you an Arsenal fan?
Do you attend games?
Are you 5?
We have completely turned our season around over the past month.Why?
Nearly fully fit squad and players playing for the manager to the best of their ability.
Get off the managers back and start giving credit where credit is due for a change.
Be a supporter!
With no disrespect to LE Boss, if no one can point out his weakness, then we’d. All be redundant. Blackburn, Spuds, Liverpool Sunderland, Newcastle, the games that hve turned Our season around like u said are games where the players went out to get the 3 points except for the Sunderland game where the Boss’s changes gave us 3 points. My point herer is a manager is not called upon all the time to stand up tacticlly but seldomly, AW has had more costly goofs for a top flight mnager than normal. Still love the man though, mind u on that