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Wise words from Arsene Wenger

November 5, 2009 08:31 AM | Posted by   Jason de Vos  

When certain football managers speak, it is wise to listen to what they have to say.

Individuals like Sir Alex Ferguson, Fabio Capello, Carlo Ancelotti and Guus Hiddink have earned the right to an audience by succeeding in their profession not for one or two seasons, but for long spells of their careers.

Arsenal's Arsene Wenger falls into that same bracket of successful managers. There are certainly those who have won more trophies than the Frenchman, but few have consistently fielded teams who play the game in such a stylish and attractive manner.

Thoughtful and intelligent

Wenger made a few comments recently that flew under the radar, but they still gave me an insight into how intelligent and thoughtful he is about his role.

The first comment was in regards to transfer dealings. Wenger stated that when managers are signing players, sometimes they have to "go blind and play poker" because they cannot know everything about a player away from football.

Some of the biggest clubs in the world are known to hire private detectives to research the behaviour of potential signings, but despite that players can still have difficulties away from the pitch when thrust into the limelight.

According to Wenger, “It is not always because they are bad guys, it can be because they are sometimes weak guys."

But Wenger believes that the true nature of the player is revealed on the pitch.

"A true revelation of character comes when they play - is he committed? Is he a collective player or an individualist? Does he work for the team or not?"

At Arsenal, Wenger has dealt with numerous players over the years that have all had to battle their inner demons - Tony Adams, Paul Merson and Ray Parlour to name a few - yet he has always managed to successfully integrate those individuals into his teams.

Tactics are certainly important in football, but Wenger is a prime example that the most important ingredient in coaching is man-management.

Building a player's confidence

Which leads me to the second remark the Frenchman made this week.

With regular left-back Gael Clichy set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Wenger has opted to give an opportunity to 20 year-old Kieran Gibbs. What were Wenger’s thoughts on that decision?

"I was very comfortable to have a solution to rest Clichy when it was needed and play Gibbs…I have no doubt about the quality of Gibbs, and I have said that many times."

How do you think those sorts of remarks will make Gibbs feel? Like a million dollars - and Wenger will reap the rewards of those comments because Gibbs will run through a brick wall to prove him right.

Proof again that managing is about more than just X's and O's.

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