Talking Tactics: Wenger way takes bravery

[Delima]

Comparing them to Roeder ...

 

In Benitez, Ferguson, Mourinho and Wenger, I have no doubt that Premiership have the best collection of elite managers as compared to other leagues. Shame that we didn't get Hitfeld. Now that would be a scene.

 

Sunday Telegraph

 

Talking Tactics: Wenger way takes bravery

 

By Stewart Robson, Sunday Telegraph

Last Updated: 12:03am GMT 25/02/2007

 

Today's Carling Cup final managers, Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, are two of the greatest their respective clubs have employed. Both have been hugely influential and successful, yet they have contrasting characters and different philosophies on how the game should be played.

 

Style of Play

 

It is incredible to see how Arsene Wenger has transformed Arsenal's play. Under George Graham and before him, Don Howe, they were regimented and disciplined but now their play is almost artistic. At their best they play with pace and fluidity with brilliant movement and vision.

 

However, occasionally they come unstuck when playing possession football too slowly, which allows the opposition to remain balanced and hard to penetrate. Wenger encourages his team to play clever, thoughtful and expressive football. Defensively he stills likes his back players to hold a very high line, which can look easy to breach at times.

 

Mourinho wants to win at all costs. He is a top coach on the training pitch and demands his players play to the game-plan that he has set out. He requires his players to be tactically astute, whether defending or attacking. Chelsea and his previous teams have been created through brilliant organisational coaching and are only creative from within a clear structure. John Terry's injury problems have hurt Mourinho because he is proud of his ability to stop the opposition performing. He will be so relieved to have him back in his side today.

 

Style of Management

 

Despite the public perception of Wenger, there is a very humorous and charming personality. He has the ability to enthuse and persuade those around him that his way is right. He has an air of authority without ranting or raving, guiding and managing his staff and players to carry out his wishes. I'm not sure he has the same style when it comes to officials, though.

 

Mourinho is an inspirational leader, whether on the training pitch, in the dressing room or in front of the press. It is his way or no way and because of the success he has achieved everybody at the club, with maybe the exception of Roman Abramovich, idolises him. He is dealing with the world's top players, who earn colossal salaries, yet he commands respect with his man-management and football brain.

 

Pre-match psychology

 

I don't understand why any manager would want a war of words conducted through the press with another, particularly when several hours later they are going to be standing next to each other. To most, confrontation leads to distraction on the challenge ahead but to some, and particularly Mourinho, it seems to stimulate them to greater focus.

 

Attacking each other via the press can only be for egotistical reasons because it has no effect on the players whatsoever. Disdain for the opposite number is a part of sport which is ever-eroding. Yes, we all dislike or have little respect for certain people in our relative industries but Mourinho and Wenger are helping to create an environment where slating your opposite number is becoming more important than tactical insight. To both be regarded as truly great people as well as great managers a little more dignity needs to be shown by both in victory and defeat.

 

Development of players

 

To play in Wenger's team, players must be technically brilliant. Therefore due to the hopeless technical development of players in this country he has attracted some of the best talent from around the world.

 

He develops players not by fantastic coaching but by giving them the environment to express and experiment themselves. He takes the fear out of their play by coaxing them to be more elaborate, precise and imaginative. However, he is ruthless once he feels young players have not made the necessary progress. Jermaine Pennant, David Bentley, Matthew Upson and Steve Sidwell are players who can back that up.

 

Mourinho needs intelligent players who can take in information and carry out orders. He will help players to understand the tactical side of the game but will be impatient with players who don't grasp his requirements. Joe Cole was a player who had little tactical understanding of the game. Despite Cole's technical qualities Mourinho would not play him until he could do the job required of him within the team framework.

 

Effect on English Football

 

I hope Wenger has changed the views of English coaches and supporters on how the game can and should be played. Unfortunately, the coaches and managers in this country are not brave enough or competent enough to follow his example.

 

Mourinho should have inspired our coaches to become more tactically astute. His effect on the game in this country may be longer lasting simply because his style of play and defensive brilliance is far easier to replicate.

 

# Stewart Robson played for Arsenal and West Ham and is a Uefa 'A’ licence holder, educating coaches to develop elite players.

[Dinho lad]

No match for Roeder, tbh.

[Guest Knightrider]

Both are great managers but Wenger is the better for me, it will be interesting to see if Mourinho can sustain success or rebuild after a period of success time and time again, at the same club. I doubt it myself. His approach is very KK like, very hands on, his way or no way, very passionate, absorbs the role like a sponge, a better tactician of course, but you could see Mourinho one day having a breakdown or needing a rest from the job due to burn out.

 

The key quote in that article is this:

 

He develops players not by fantastic coaching but by giving them the environment to express and experiment themselves.

 

That there is the key to running a successful club, to developing players good enough to play for a successful club. And the beatuty about Wenger's set-up over Mourinho's is that his way allows not so technically great players to become technically better, to improve their game and become different players. Mourinho's way doesn't allow for certain players regardless of how good they are, Wenger will mould a player to fit the system or to become a part of the system, Mourinho buys players to fit a system, and gets rid of those that can't adapt or don't fit in, or leaves them out of things. You have to be a certain player to play for Chelsea and Mourinho, at Arsenal you just need talent (and the right attitude of course), Wenger and his set-up will take care of the rest.

[Delima]

He develops players not by fantastic coaching but by giving them the environment to express and experiment themselves.

 

That there is the key to running a successful club, to developing players good enough to play for a successful club. And the beatuty about Wenger's set-up over Mourinho's is that his way allows not so technically great players to become technically better, to improve their game and become different players. Mourinho's way doesn't allow for certain players regardless of how good they are, Wenger will mould a player to fit the system or to become a part of the system, Mourinho buys players to fit a system, and gets rid of those that can't adapt or don't fit in, or leaves them out of things. You have to be a certain player to play for Chelsea and Mourinho, at Arsenal you just need talent (and the right attitude of course), Wenger and his set-up will take care of the rest.

 

But actually how much does Wenger contribute to the youngsters? If we give him a Shola Ameobi could Wenger turn him into a Dean Ashton?

 

The Arsenal squad which play Chelsea against Arsenal

 

Almunia - 29

 

Hoyte - Arsenal youth product

Senderos - Bought at 18 and only started games regularly at 21. I count him as an Arsenal youth product

Toure - Bought at 21. A youth product of ASEC Mimosas

Traore - Boutht 2 years ago but already play in first team sparingly since last year. I count him as a wonderkid instead of a product of Arsenal academy

 

Walcott - Southampton youth product

Denilson - Sao Paulo youth product

Fabregas - Barcelona youth product

Diaby - Bought last year. Not an arsenal youth product.

 

Aladiere - Bought at 16. Arsenal youth product.

Baptista - Not a youngster

 

Put it this way. Arsene Wenger perhaps isn't a wonder coach you could turn donkeys into horses. What he does is essentially the same as Jose Mourinho. The only difference being Mourinho buys old and experienced and Wenger buys young and unproven.

 

In this respect Wenger's talent spotting is unrivalled in England even in the world. And his philosophy is one I highly admire and wish Roeder could practise the same.

 

This generation of talent is phenomenal. With the money saved from buying young, Wenger could spend the extra bit to obtain extraordinary talent to ice the cake.

 

I will watch them with a passion.

[Northern Monkey]

I got as far as "comparing them to Roeder", then nearly wet myself laughing. I'm sure that was the point, that Roeder is genuinely small time (as most of the team are in fairness), but the very sentence humoured me geatly.