Arsene Wenger. The name brings mixed emotions to nearly all current Arsenal fans.
The man, often referred to as ’Le Professeur’ brought unheralded glory to Arsenal. Three Premier League titles, an entire season unbeaten, a Champions League final, six FA Cups and a move to a new fortress are just a few of the great things the French genius has been able to oversee during his 20 years in England.
In charge of the Gunners, Wenger has also had his share of difficulties, though. Apart from the fact that in 1128 games, he never managed to once, find a jacket that fit him right, Wenger was also in charge of a side that suffered a nine-year trophy drought spanning 3,283 days and 512 games .
Despite such highs and lows, though, the Frenchman has always had Arsenal’s best interests in his heart, albeit sometimes it being to the detriment of the club.
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While many fans out there, new to football, might think of him as a bespectacled, benign, spent force often throwing tantrums on the touchline, he is so much more than that.
Our next What if: feature takes a look at what could have been, had a young, scientist-looking foreigner, not taken charge of one of England's biggest clubs.
#1 No “Invincibles”
An Arsene Wenger led Arsenal side had their best ever season in the history of the club in 2003/04 when the Gunners went an entire Premier League campaign unbeaten. To make matters even sweeter, they sealed the title in London rivals Spurs’ home ground. That season earned the Gunners the 'Invincibles' nickname which cemented Wenger's spot in English football history.
Arsenal’s Invincibles contained a number of Wenger signings including Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires without whom this unbelievable feat would never have been possible.
Arsenal went on to extend their unbeaten run into the following season where it was snapped by Manchester United eventually.
The Invincible season was by far Arsene Wenger’s greatest achievement in his 20-year tenure at the club and that team will forever be considered one of the greatest in the history of football.
Without Le Professeur ,however, Arsenal fans would never have gotten to witness such greatness.
#2 Modern day diet and fitness would be nowhere close to what it is now
Arsene Wenger’s arrival at Arsenal revolutionised world football in general and English football in particular with respect to players’ diet and fitness. Wenger, during his time in Japan, had noticed that there was not one obese person in the country and concluded that their staple diet would be perfect for the average footballer. So out went sugar, red meat, chips and pizza and in came pasta, green veggies, and steamed fish. Alcohol was frowned upon but still permitted.
”The whole way of life is linked to health. Their[Japanese] diet is basically boiled vegetables, fish, and rice. No fat, no sugar. You notice when you live there that there are no fat people. I think in England you eat too much sugar and meat and not enough vegetables.” said Wenger.
Wenger also bought in new fitness routines including Plyometrics to England. Exercises, mainly used by hurdlers and sprinters, Plyometrics involved sudden ballistic movements in order to improve strength and conditioning. This form of exercise was so alien to English football that the manager had to demonstrate them to the players himself.
The results, however, were brilliant. Arsenal soon became the fittest team in England and began to easily bully opponents physically in key stages of the season. Players began to peak at the right moments and a combination of the diet and fitness added over 3-4 years to the players’ careers.
Such innovations are now a norm in modern day football. Take a look at Pep Guardiola, for instance, who banned pizza in the Manchester City dressing room in order to get the players lean, mean and ready for the season.
While in years previously, players often had burgers and a couple of beers after a training session or even prior to a match, such acts are now completely abolished and managers all around the world have Arsene Wenger to thank for this.
#3 No new stadium
While many experts and fans alike, have criticised Arsene Wenger's spending habits in the past, it was this that ensured Arsenal’s financial sustainability while transitioning into a new 60,000 seater, state of the art, Emirates stadium.
Construction of the new stadium began way back in 2000 and was completed in 2006 costing a whopping £390 million. The Gunners were denied public subsidy by the government for funding of the stadium and hence had to look at other means, one of which was buying players for low amounts and selling high, something which Wenger is best known for.
Arsenal got over £50m through this venture just through the sales of Nicolas Anelka, Marc Overmars, and Emmanuel Petit. Also, according to Wenger himself, it was his presence that guaranteed the Gunners obtained the bank loans they required during construction.
“When we built the stadium the banks demanded that I signed for five years," he said. "The banks wanted the technical consistency to guarantee that we have a chance to pay them back."
During this phase, Wenger also made sure that The Gunners did not miss out on Champions League football for even a single season, a mean feat for a club on such a tight budget.
All in all, Wenger ensured that the club could easily pay off their stadium debt and played a huge role in making the club self-sufficient
#4 Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp would not be Arsenal legends
Let’s start off with Thierry Henry. Wenger and Henry first crossed paths at Monaco. A raw and exciting talent, Henry started off as a winger with limited success. After Wenger got the Arsenal job, his first priority after offloading Anelka to Real Madrid was Henry and this time, Arsene decided that the French youngster would be more suited for a full-fledged attacking role.
Initially, the move did not seem to pay off as Henry failed to score in his first eight games for the club but after that first one went in, there was just no stopping the Frenchman. Henry went on to smash in 26 goals in his first season and never looked back. Toppling records for fun, the former Barcelona striker’s best season came in 2003/04 when he scored an astonishing 39 goals in all competitions.
Easily Arsenal’s best ever striker, Henry became the club’s leading goalscorer in 2005, breaking the record previously held by Ian Wright.
Dennis Bergkamp was another precocious talent who failed to live up to his billing until Arsene came along to truly unlock his potential. Although Bergkamp arrived at Highbury a year before Wenger did, he was unable to make much of a name for himself. With Le Professeur's arrival, however, the Dutchman managed to find that next gear which made him special.
Seeing eye to eye on the way attacking football had to be played, Bergkamp along with Henry, terrorized defences throughout the country, forming the most formidable attacking force of the league by miles. An Arsenal legend with a statue made in his honour, Bergkamp retired at the Gunners having made over 350 appearances for the club and has Wenger to thank for his success.
#5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic would be a Gunner
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was on the verge of signing for the Gunners until Arsene Wenger decided to ask the controversial striker to undergo a trial at Highbury. Zlatan had in fact even posed in Arsenal colors and had stated that it would be his dream to join such an established force in England but was absolutely enraged at the fact that Wenger didn’t want to sign him outright.
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“Arsene gave me the famous red and white jersey - the No 9 shirt with Ibrahimovic on it and I was so pleased I even posed for a picture wearing it. It was a fantastic moment for me,” said the Swedish striker.
“So then I waited for him to convince me that I should join Arsenal. But he didn't even try. He never actually made me a serious offer, it was more, 'I want to see how good you are, what kind of player you are. Have a trial'. I couldn't believe it. I was like, ‘No way, Zlatan doesn't do auditions’.” he went on to add.
Since then, Zlatan has gone on to represent Barcelona, Milan ,Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, scoring on a number of occasions against Wenger’s men.
Bonus slide: No Patrick Vieira vs Roy Keane battles which would have made Barton v Cattermole the biggest “hardman” rivalry in England
All Arsenal and Manchester United fans remember what a mouthwatering spectacle the Keane vs Vieira battles used to be. Whether on the pitch or off it, every game brought some new form of controversy which just added to an already raging rivalry. From pizza throwing to leg breaking tackles, it had everything a great rivalry should.
Without Wenger, though, there would have been no Patrick Vieira at Arsenal and hence no rivalry.
Fans would probably have to have been content with Joey Barton hurling abuse at Lee Cattermole or something to that extent. But who knows, that may have turned out even better than the abovementioned rivalry did.
Could you picture a 20-year-old Lee sliding in on an irate Joey? What if it was Cattermole and not Barton’s own teammate Ousmane Dabo, who was lucky enough to receive a roundhouse to the face?
Cattermole might even have converted one of his 59 yellow cards to a red with a well-timed elbow to the former Manchester City midfielder’s face. The duo might even have had a spitting contest along with a Twitter battle. Also, it may have been Cattermole and not the poor Everton fans who got a close-up view of Barton’s backside.
Would make for some fine watching for sure. Alas, what has Wenger deprived the world of?
