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What's the story?
Arsene Wenger has equalized Sir Alex Ferguson's record of having taken charge of 810 Premier League matches as Arsenal won 3-2 against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Thursday.
Wenger will go on to break the record when Arsenal visit West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Eve.
As two of the longest serving managers in the league, let us compare the records of these iconic managers.
In case you didn't know...
Arsene Wenger started his long journey at Arsenal with a 2-0 win against Blackburn Rovers in October 1996 and has overseen huge changes happening at the club during these 21 years. Wenger has warded off a lot of criticism on being stubborn in transfer strategy and tactics and has survived during the difficult periods at the club. His counterpart at Manchester United on other hand has tasted a lot of success.
The heart of the matter
Wenger has won 468 matches out of 810 with a healthy win percentage of 58 percent. This does not match up with the former Manchester United manager who has won 528 matches with a win percentage of 65 percent. The Frenchman has a long way to go to surpass Sir Alex Fergusons figures.
Wenger's side has drawn 29 matches more than Ferguson did and has lost 31 matches more than the Scot. Wenger's Arsenal has conceded 78 goals more and scored 103 goals fewer that Ferguson's Manchester United, but with more Premier League matches for Wenger he could possibly surpass that record.
On the head to head record, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have faced each other 47 times and the Scot has an upper hand, winning 22 games while the Frenchman succeeded only on 15 occasions.
Wenger has won three Premier League titles compared to Ferguson's amazing haul of 13. The unbeaten season of Arsenal in the 2003-04 season is one of the finest achievements in Wenger's career which saw his team get the golden premier league trophy.
The Former Manchester United Manager has won 1,752 points from 810 matches and Wenger who is on 1,601 points is far behind the Scot. Wenger has also won three manager of the year awards during his Premier League career, putting him joint-second on the list of winners alongside his old rival Jose Mourinho. But Wenger cannot come close to Ferguson who has won 11 manager of the year awards between 1994 and 2013
Author's take
Arsene Wenger's records are close to Sir Alex's, but the Scot is several steps ahead of Wenger in the silverware won. Wenger has gone through a lot of difficult periods during his time at Arsenal, which includes changing from Highbury Stadium to the financial restraints he had faced. Arsene Wenger may never break all the records set by Sir Alex Ferguson but the Frenchman has played a huge role in making Arsenal what they are today. A manager who has always upheld humanitarian values over personal gains, he is undoubtedly one of the greatest managers Premiere League has seen.
