After all, it allows the direct and pragmatic kick-and-run kind of style still popular there in some quarters. Back to diet: it was a progressive step that rejuvenated the aging squad that Wenger inherited from George Graham. They won the league the next season. At a time where a number of teams favored the ultra defensive , Wenger changed the formation of the team known then as boring Arsenal to an attacking , which in reality was a of a kind, where the second digit represented the two central midfielders, the third, the two inward-tending wingers outside midfielders and the supporting striker cum creative midfielder, and the final digit, the most advanced striker.
Arsenal quickly became known for their dynamic and incessant attacking football, and when in they went an entire season unbeaten, it was said that England had seen one of the greatest sides ever.
They won by outplaying and outscoring their opponents. Followers of Wenger and the team would notice a gradual tactical transformation now in play. Progressive thinking also meant that it was Wenger who introduced England to true cosmopolitanism in a squad. When the English press complained about the dearth of English players in an English team, Wenger replied that football is a game of merit, opened to the best talents around the world.
Today, almost every team is cosmopolitan. At a time when even the forward thinking David Dein wanted Arsenal to rent Old Wembley Stadium, Wenger supported the idea of building for the future, hence the Emirates stadium. He adjusted his approach to team building accordingly, favoring nurture over the purchase of stars. It is—the stadium, that is—what has given Arsenal the edge over Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
It has made Arsenal one of the richest clubs in the world. A big stadium had given Manchester United an edge over her rivals. It was expedient therefore that Arsenal should leave Highbury to a bigger ground if the club would favorably contend for the future.
Furthermore, it was Wenger who first used computer stats in the Premier League to both analyze games, player performances and to aid him in transfer purchases. Now stats have become a Holy Grail of sorts. Every Tom, Dick and Harry holds stats sacrosanct, as though they were the trump card for success. They are not, of course. In essence, it is progressive thinking that has made Wenger focus on youth development rather than on spending huge amounts of cash on ready-made stars.
This will yet yield dividend. And as the reader would have observed, other English teams are now following suit. It has also meant that Wenger has had limited funds to buy new players to plug up the holes that constantly have resulted from the loss of key players.
His solution has been to blood young players, prematurely so at times. This has hampered Wenger from repeating the success of his first decade at Arsenal, a time when he was firmly on course to knocking off Manchester United from its perch as the golden club of recent times.
As it happened, Chelsea are the one that have knocked off Arsenal from their own patch as the new boys in town. Other options. Close drawer menu Financial Times International Edition. Search the FT Search. World Show more World. US Show more US. Companies Show more Companies. The largest and most innovative sports and entertainment space. The organisation that unites ex-players from all FC Barcelona football teams.
Summer Camp. Basketball First Team. Handball First Team. Futsal First Team. Roller Hockey First Team. Esports eFootball PES. Don't Miss. Sporting Management. Roller Hockey. When he arrived at the club, it was an unremarkable upper mid-table team, with no suitable training ground and a terrible sports culture. But Wenger turned the club around and made Arsenal who they are and what they aspire to be: one of the biggest clubs in Europe. The first thing he did was to improve the training facilities and invest in the youth academy.
His vision and philosophy allowed Arsenal to recruit fascinating players like Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka at bargain prices. Under him, these players moved mountains. Wenger led Arsenal into the elite of soccer. It happens often because soccer fans always want more from the team they support. However, the demand to see Wenger leave was based on emotions rather than on realistic thinking.
Arsenal fans got used to Wenger leading his team into the top league rankings in the past, so, once the team started losing, they found it hard to acknowledge the fantastic work done by the Frenchman. The way that fans called for him to leave was wrong and ignored his contributions to the club. Watching Arsenal play during their heyday, one would realize they were the best and most attractive soccer team to ever play in Premier League.
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