Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Add Reply
Wenger is so idiosyncratic
Topic Started: Feb 6 2014, 04:56 PM (89 Views)
cruyff_turn
Member Avatar
Administrator
Came across part 1 of this interview with Le Bob, and you should all read it: http://news.arseblog.com/2014/02/pires-keen-for-arsenal-to-come-through-nightmare/

(Full interview here: http://frenchfootballweekly.com/2014/02/05/interview-arsenals-robert-pires-the-early-years/)

I found this particularly fascinating:

Q: What did Wenger do for your career, and how? Did he give you advice, did he build up your self-confidence?

A: Yes, both. What is great with Arsène Wenger, it’s that when you have strengths, he makes you work on them. He doesn’t want to work on your weaknesses. If you have faults, you have faults. But if you have qualities, he wants to work on making them perfect. And that’s what he wanted from me, two qualities, speed and dribbling. So I worked enormously on those two areas, and it was important for me, of course. As for how he is – the relationship is simple. When you are on the pitch, he leaves you to it. He lets you do whatever you like. That’s when you have the trust of the coach, and I earned that. I gained his trust, and then you’re a free man on the pitch.


That differs so much from conventional wisdom, in which most coaches in most all sports tend to have players work more on their weaknesses than their strengths. After all, well-rounded players are the best right? Maybe so, but it can also work to great effect if you put a group of players together who make up for each others' weaknesses, and as a result or much more than the sum of their parts (which, to me anyway, seems to be a feature of this Arsenal side). It would also explain why many players struggle after leaving the club.

Anyways, I thought that was very enlightening and intriguing from Pires.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
santry_gooner
Member Avatar

Your namesake Johann cruyff has abandoned the philosophy of the old Alax teams (systems, role play, interchangeability) that he once believed in so strongly. And that for a completely idiosyncratic philosophy of developing players as individuals and specialists. This began in Cruyff's mind when he looked at the product of that system in the last two decades - a multitasking high standard of footballing robots (De Boer brothers).

Wenger is not alone in this. There's a German academy coach who I see quoted all the time. He says things like "tell me your strengths, we work on those and turn them into a weapon that nobody else has". Will post his name when I remember it.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
JustOneDennisBergkamp
Member Avatar
JODB
I doubt that Wenger or other like thinking managers entirely abandon having players doing work to strengthen what are weaknesses. But i would imagine that if you overly focused on correcting a player, that he might become less enthusiastic about his craft. Playing to a player's strengths both in training and on the pitch can only help to build confidence.

On a personal note, until I develop a special skill or two, I'll continue to fetch the ball for those more capable.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
gundamn
Member Avatar

Thanks, I enjoyed reading about Le Bob's insights.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · General Discussion · Next Topic »
Add Reply