Arsenal’s next manager can achieve greatness thanks to Wenger
Arsene Wenger and Herbert Chapman; two Arsenal icons who were ahead of their time.
On Sunday afternoon, Wenger took charge of his final game as Gunners boss following 22 years at the helm, with the match against Huddersfield Town proving a fitting fixture for the legendary coach to bow out in style.
Chapman, a former Huddersfield and Arsenal boss, introduced floodlights to the game, the tactics board and even proposed a ‘West Europe’ competition 20 years before the European Cup idea came to fruition.
He was also the main man behind Gillespie Road Tube station being renamed ‘Arsenal’ - which, to this day, remains the only Tube station named after a Premier League club.
In today’s short-term European football structure, it is rare for a manager to be given sufficient time to create such a legacy but Wenger has done it, which is why he deserves the respect and adoration that he’s received in recent weeks following his decision to leave north London after two decades.
The Frenchman famously changed the club's entire approach to match preparation, modernised the training ground facilities and oversaw the move to Emirates Stadium while keeping Arsenal in the Champions League at the same time.
His ability to scour the European market, particularly in France, for top young players before selling them on for profit once they had achieved success with the Gunners was all down to the vision of one man.
“I am never satisfied. I just try to do my best and I believe I would like to go away and think I have done that,” Wenger told The Mirror in 2012.
Similarly, Chapman’s personal mantra was to always have the hunger and determination to make his teams better.
“There is one golden rule: it is never safe to be satisfied,” said Chapman. “No matter how good the team may be, there should always be an attempt to improve it.
"It is sometimes suggested that a winning team are got together by luck. This has not been my experience. One has to watch a team like a thermometer.
It’s not really happened [Arsenal becoming financially dominant] because other clubs have used outside resources,” Wenger said. “We had a double handicap. We had to pay back the debt on the stadium and we had to face the competition where clubs have even more resources than they usually have.”
Added to that, Arsenal have a core group of players capable of challenging for the Premier League title next season. Wenger’s own words are that the Gunners need at least "two or three" new additions to maintain a challenge and there is indeed the risk of the club going into a transition period once the new manager arrives.
A fresh approach is what Arsenal certainly need at this point and Ivan Gazidis, Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi will become the ‘face’ of the forward-thinking reaguard put in place to move the club onto a European model which aims to improve player recruitment and, by consequence, results on the pitch.
"I have a little bit of a special bond here because Herbert Chapman came from the club to our club and he is certainly our greatest manager," Wenger said afterwards. "So it had a special meaning."
Arsene Wenger and Herbert Chapman; two Arsenal icons who were ahead of their time.
On Sunday afternoon, Wenger took charge of his final game as Gunners boss following 22 years at the helm, with the match against Huddersfield Town proving a fitting fixture for the legendary coach to bow out in style.
Chapman, a former Huddersfield and Arsenal boss, introduced floodlights to the game, the tactics board and even proposed a ‘West Europe’ competition 20 years before the European Cup idea came to fruition.
He was also the main man behind Gillespie Road Tube station being renamed ‘Arsenal’ - which, to this day, remains the only Tube station named after a Premier League club.
In today’s short-term European football structure, it is rare for a manager to be given sufficient time to create such a legacy but Wenger has done it, which is why he deserves the respect and adoration that he’s received in recent weeks following his decision to leave north London after two decades.
The Frenchman famously changed the club's entire approach to match preparation, modernised the training ground facilities and oversaw the move to Emirates Stadium while keeping Arsenal in the Champions League at the same time.
His ability to scour the European market, particularly in France, for top young players before selling them on for profit once they had achieved success with the Gunners was all down to the vision of one man.
“I am never satisfied. I just try to do my best and I believe I would like to go away and think I have done that,” Wenger told The Mirror in 2012.
Similarly, Chapman’s personal mantra was to always have the hunger and determination to make his teams better.
“There is one golden rule: it is never safe to be satisfied,” said Chapman. “No matter how good the team may be, there should always be an attempt to improve it.
"It is sometimes suggested that a winning team are got together by luck. This has not been my experience. One has to watch a team like a thermometer.
It’s not really happened [Arsenal becoming financially dominant] because other clubs have used outside resources,” Wenger said. “We had a double handicap. We had to pay back the debt on the stadium and we had to face the competition where clubs have even more resources than they usually have.”
Added to that, Arsenal have a core group of players capable of challenging for the Premier League title next season. Wenger’s own words are that the Gunners need at least "two or three" new additions to maintain a challenge and there is indeed the risk of the club going into a transition period once the new manager arrives.
A fresh approach is what Arsenal certainly need at this point and Ivan Gazidis, Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi will become the ‘face’ of the forward-thinking reaguard put in place to move the club onto a European model which aims to improve player recruitment and, by consequence, results on the pitch.
"I have a little bit of a special bond here because Herbert Chapman came from the club to our club and he is certainly our greatest manager," Wenger said afterwards. "So it had a special meaning."
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