| Wenger tells Podolski to step it up | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 22 2013, 10:52 AM (466 Views) | |
| cruyff_turn | Oct 23 2013, 07:24 PM Post #11 |
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Don't think Wenger has anything to answer for at this point. New contract, please. |
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| supercollider7 | Oct 23 2013, 09:06 PM Post #12 |
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I didn't want to answer this because you don't want another Arsene Wenger thread, but it is a good question. How do you keep a manager motivated? I think the board probably have minimum requirement from the manager and if those aren't met they'd review the position. Having a "director of football" is always an option but I'm not a big fan of clubs taking that approach. The manager is supposed to be the head of the footballing side for me, he makes the decisions on tactics and the style of the club. Why have another person muddling that up? But even if that approach works you can't really have that for a manager like Arsene Wenger. Who do you put above a manager who is more knowledgeable and more experienced than pretty much anyone in football? For a man like Ferguson or Wenger you either sack them or let them do their thing. No one else can have as much authority as them. It would be like hiring a 25 year old as a manager for a title winning team. And there are ways to judge results based on finances. We know about the close correlation between wages and league position. If we're spending more than anyone and finishing 4th or 5th clearly that's an underperforming manager. But Wenger has overperformed his spend in almost every season he's been in charge. That's why he's kept his job. It's clear when you look at Wenger on the touchline how much he is motivated. He's been criticized for his antics and maybe rightly so but it shows he cares a lot. He said he takes every loss like a death and it showed on his face. That's why the accusations that he had lost his motivation and drive to win and was only there to make money rang completely hollow. |
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| JustOneDennisBergkamp | Oct 23 2013, 09:17 PM Post #13 |
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For me it's quite simple. I believe that the vast majority of managers are just liike the vast majority of players when it comes to motivation and competitive drive, in that it is, of course, of the highest order. I have no reason to suspect that Arsene Wenger is not like the vast majority of his coaching brethren. Edited by JustOneDennisBergkamp, Oct 23 2013, 09:19 PM.
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| supercollider7 | Oct 23 2013, 09:25 PM Post #14 |
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Of course, I agree. In fact I think Wenger is more committed to the cause than probably anyone. He's insane and obsessed and probably not a very happy person. But the "stepping up" can be perhaps more about results than motivation. Sometimes the two don't match. And when a player is in bad form you have the manager who can correct their mistakes. But it is a good question to ask who does that for the manager. Don't think you can really have anyone but he can be judged by his results. And the manager has to be open to listening to his coaches for opinion and advise. |
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| JustOneDennisBergkamp | Oct 23 2013, 10:38 PM Post #15 |
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JODB
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I would imagine that a man as passionate and motivated as Wenger works tirelessly to improve every aspect of the club, his own knowledge and performance included. As for listening to his coaches, I think that Wenger has developed a greater sense of trust in Bould in their second season together which likely has something to do with the side's improvement. |
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| cruyff_turn | Oct 23 2013, 10:46 PM Post #16 |
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I think early last season Wenger let Bould coach the team on shape and defending set pieces, then when we started floundering in October he got a little insecure and reverted to what he'd been trying for the past few seasons. I don't think it was until about February when he realized that we had to get back to what we were doing at the outset. I distinctly remember seeing Bould mouth, "how many times do I have to tell you?" after we conceded another soft goal last season somewhere around December or January. |
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| JustOneDennisBergkamp | Oct 23 2013, 11:40 PM Post #17 |
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JODB
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There is perhaps no greater example of Wenger's commitment to the club than his hiring of Bould. Rice was like a comfy old sweater, and Wenger over the years trusted that Rice had his back with both management and players alike. Bringing in a strong character like Bould was, well, a rather bold move. Naturally, it takes longer than overnight to that someone is 100% in your corner 100% of the time (or as close to those figures as one can get). Also, I would imagine that it's taken some time for Bould to be supremely confident in his bosses wisdom. Bould impresses me as a man who when he has something to say, he will have no problem being direct. There have likely been some spirited debates over tactics during the early days of their partnership, and it is just as likely that those debates have helped Wenger to bring out the best in the team this year. |
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| supercollider7 | Oct 24 2013, 10:32 AM Post #18 |
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Cruyff, surely you don't buy the "he got insecure" angle? The assistant and head coach work together but ultimately it's the head coach's decision on how the team plays. And you can't separate defensive coaching from attacking coaching. They go hand in hand because how you defend affects how you attack and vice versa. It was clear at the start of the season that while the team was solid defensively we weren't creating enough chances. Towards winter we made some tactical changes and played Walcott more as a forward, closer to goal and that hurt us defensively a little bit. We were also pressing a little more. You also have to consider that after Diaby's injury the team lacked a proper midfield partner for Arteta, and both Ramsey and Wilshere struggled defensively. And there was Vermaelen's shaky form. His individual errors cost us several goals during that period. So it's no coincidence that it was in March when Ramsey-Arteta partnership had some time to grow, and Vermaelen and Szczesny were dropped, that we suddenly started playing well. And we did play a bit more cautiously defensively but there weren't any huge tactical changes that make you think that Bould was suddenly allowed to do his job. We went through similar transformations in the 08-09 season when we started leaking goals and then Wenger went back to basics with the team and we strung 4 0-0s together. And then changed our formation to a 4231 to end the season. The main change for me, visibly at least, was how Bould changed our defensive shape into a 4411 rather than a 4231. The wingers were pulled back to form 2 banks of 4. The pressing was also more selective. And we kept that shape throughout the season so I don't think there was a case of Wenger not letting Bould do his job. I'm sure there are disagreements between them especially with Bould focused primarily on the defensive side of things. But people forget that you can always make your team more solid defensively, but it costs you in attack. And the manager has to take certain risks to maintain a good balance between attack and defence. |
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| cruyff_turn | Oct 24 2013, 11:03 AM Post #19 |
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Insecure is a poor choice of words, but it's impossible to argue Wenger ain't stubborn. Like most things, it has its gifts and curses. |
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| supercollider7 | Oct 24 2013, 12:32 PM Post #20 |
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Stubborn? On certain things, he is. But I think if he didn't already appreciate Bould's input and advice he wouldn't have appointed him as his assistant. People have the perception of them as polar opposites almost, but I'm willing to bet they are very close in their view of football. |
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