Arsene Wenger likely to be a failure as England manager

By 1970’s Gooner

Look at it this way. Arsene Wenger possesses some very important attributes which make him a brilliant football coach and manager.

He is fantastic in spotting young and gifted players from all over the world through a world wide scouting network and contacts.

And he is not only fantastic in spotting these young players but in developing them to reach their lofty potential. Nicolas Anelka, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy and Cesc Fabregas are prime examples.

He is equally astute at spotting more mature players and bringing them in at ridiculously “reasonable” transfer prices. Players like Emanuel Petit, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Gilberto Silva, Robert Pires and Robin Van Persie.

He is the type of manager that drills his philosophy of playing “total” football into each and every player from the first team squad to the last academy youngster. His close daily involvement on the training pitch ensures that this adhered to.



He is particularly attentive to all dietary matters and living styles of his players. His use of statistics on each player’s performance allows him to guide them through a fitness and diet regime specifically relevant for each individual.

In this way he ensures that all Arsenal players are at peak condition when they enter the football field.

His man management skills according to ex players are second to none. He passes on to the players self belief and responsibility and they respond in kind; on the pitch.

You will remember Paul Merson’s remark when asked what Wenger has brought to the players: “unbelievable self belief” was his eloquent response!

Once all these have been achieved then 75% of what is needed to win football games is already in place. The rest will come from, what I would call, match day skills.

The choice of formation for the day (and even this is sometimes is not altered), the selection of the players who will take the field of play and the substitutions that may be required according to how the game progresses.

In fact I would venture as to say that Wenger’s match day skills are not his best attributes!

Sometimes he gets the substitutions wrong and sometimes, as he has himself admitted last week after the Manchester United game, he gets his formation wrong! Something I pointed out in my post after that game only to be “abused” and castigated by die hard Wenger fans!

Now I ask you which of all the above attributes would Wenger have any reasonable control once he becomes the England manager. Or come to that any National Team’s manager?

The answer is that mostly it will be the “match day” ones.

But will that be enough?



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