Arsene Wenger – the main man down at Arsenal for nearly 20 years now – is undeniably one of the best managers the English game has ever seen. Even if his team’s most recent exploits fail to shine the classy Frenchman in his most successful light, the 65-year-old brings with him a wealth of trophy-winning experience, as well as a priceless reputation for playing entertaining football.
The Gunners have been transformed during Wenger’s tenure at the North London club, from the ‘boring, boring Arsenal’ team of old, to the notorious ‘Invincibles’ that took the nation by storm in 2003/04.
In light of Arsenal’s long-term manager approaching such a milestone with the club, just how well does Le Professeur compare with his contemporaries in English football, and to what extent does Arsene Wenger truly deserve to be crowned the best manager the Premier League has ever seen?
Such a topic inevitably becomes a tit-for-tat argument, with most fans of top four clubs suggesting that their own coach deserves the credit above anyone else. No one could truly say that one individual manager is simply untouchable, for they all bring their own set of skills and abilities, as well as some inevitable shortcomings.
The case for Arsene Wenger however remains a convincing one. The former Monaco man has not only proved his worth when it comes to winning trophies – in spite of Jose Mourinho’s claims that he is a ‘specialist in failure’ – but the animated French boss has also been able to achieve such a legacy in a generally positive and captivating manner.
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Yes – the current Arsenal team of 2014/15 simply doesn’t live up to the Gunners sides of old, and yes, Wenger may very well be approaching the end of his time as a successful Premier League coach these days – but when you consider the calibre of players he has discovered and subsequently introduced into the English game – there really can only be one winner in this argument.
The likes of Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp, Cesc Fabregas and so on… have made the Premier League into what many consider the best domestic competition in the whole of Europe. Other English giants have obviously contributed a great deal in this department as well, but as Wenger is simply the master of finding raw talents and turning them into world renowned superstars, the Frenchman simply deserves the most credit – even if some of these foreign ventures have spelt the end for several Englishman trying to tie down first team places in the Premier League.
Jose Mourinho may have governed over some of the league’s best talents throughout his time at Stamford Bridge, he has proven to have a knack for gamesmanship in press conferences and post-match interviews, and he may even provide the Premier League with its stand-out character in the dug-out at the moment – but without the many millions handed down to him from Chelsea’s Russian ownership – the ever enigmatic Portuguese boss simply wouldn’t have been able to have the same impact in the slightest.
Anyone can rinse Europe’s very best talent with the financial power Mourinho has been able to call upon throughout his time in the Premier League. It takes a truly special manager to source his own gems from obscure teams across the continent and build them into some of the world’s greatest – and as of yet – Mourinho just hasn’t proved capable of such a feat on a consistent enough level.
One manager who may therefore be able to challenge Wenger as the Premier League’s best would be Sir Alex Ferguson. The former Old Trafford man not only turned Manchester United into one of the most formidable English outfits at the time, but he also went about his business by investing his efforts in youth team players, and eventually seeing them grow into some of the best performers of the modern era.
Sir Alex nevertheless failed to reach the same levels of entertainment as the current Arsenal boss, relying instead on a meaner, more intimidating brand of football. The rest of England would be lying if they said that they didn’t enjoy watching the Frenchman’s Arsenal team of old, but the same seemingly can’t be said of the opposing Man United side under an authoritative Ferguson at the time.
While such a debate will seemingly rage on, the overall outcome would simply have to place Arsene Wenger as the best Premier League manager of the modern era – regardless of where you footballing loyalties happen to lie.
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