Wenger's forgotten how to win, Pep's still learning

Recent displays have shown similarities in the
pair's ideological approaches, but the difference is
the Arsenal boss used to possess the wit to win
league titles
When Arsenal sealed the double at home against
Everton in 1998 - less than two years after Arsene
Wenger took over as manager – veteran centre-
back Steve Bould chipped a through-ball over the
defence for partner Tony Adams to score the
fourth goal of the day.
Buffon keeps 200th clean sheet for Juventus
“That sums it all up,” said Sky Sports
commentator Martin Tyler.
He was bang on with that description. It’s what
Wenger was all about in those days; optimising
the talent on his books who had the one thing he
didn’t – experience in the league.
Wenger demonstrated his knowledge and respect
for English football by leaving his back four and
goalkeeper untouched on day one. There would be
Wenger football – sure – but he would teach
George Graham’s players how to do it.
He lined up the signing of Patrick Vieira before he
had even arrived at Highbury. The midfield
became even more robust with the addition of
Emmanuel Petit a year later.
Those two could play but they were not above
leaving their foot in. That aggression – combined
with a traditionally-drilled English backline - gave
Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars,
Thierry Henry and Robert Pires their space to
work magic.
He decided to let go of Henry, Vieira and Pires
more or less at their peak in order to recoup some
transfer value. The experience and ability to read
English matches in the Arsenal team was lost
when that core was broken up.
Wenger’s team these days is lacking those very
same characteristics. He shouldn’t have been
taken by surprise midweek when Everton
smashed his players all over Goodison Park and
shook them down for two headed goals. It was a
bear-pit; English football at its finest.
He complained after about the physicality of the
match and said his players couldn’t cope. He’s
been here 20 years.
To his detriment, he’s chased ideological
perfection since that Invincible season in 2003-04.
There have been glaring, repeating weaknesses in
Arsenal’s squad and their transfer policy for the
best part of a decade. Nonetheless, Wenger has
carried on with a zealousness that betrays the
pragmatism that bought him time and success
early in his Arsenal reign.
Pep Guardiola is now under the microscope after a
couple of months’ worth of results that are not in
any way outstanding. Manchester City it could be
argued have only played well for 90 minutes on
three occasions this season; against
Bournemouth at home, Manchester United away
and against Barcelona in the Champions League.
Other times they’ve been exposed. Guardiola does
not chase clean sheets with the same kind of
determination that – say - Tony Pulis does and
that is to his disadvantage.
Every team in England has more or less figured
out how to beat Leicester City for example but
Guardiola let his guard down and permitted the
champions to play exactly how they would have
liked. It was a set-up of Wengerian defiance.
There is no dispute that Guardiola’s football
works; he’s proved it at Barcelona and Bayern
Munich. He has described himself as “arrogant”
and perhaps that is the right adjective to describe
his unshakeable belief that winning football
crosses borders. Guardiola needs to deliver
change and success but he wants to do both at
the same time.
Pep’s signed a three-year deal with City and is
widely expected to make the same kind of impact
in that time frame. There will be no empire building
– three quick seasons and he’ll likely be gone.
Due to his haste, Guardiola is not giving himself
the best chance.
From removing Joe Hart to exiling Yaya Toure,
from remaining unconvinced by Vincent Kompany
- even when fit - to shifting Samir Nasri, Pep
denied himself the opportunity to buy breathing
space through the instincts of players who knew
the league better than he did.
Guardiola: I didn't help Alexis too much at Barca
Moreover, he’s disoriented the players he
inherited by playing them in a kaleidoscopic array
of formations which has seen left backs at centre
back and right backs in midfield. That shakeup
has taken Guardiola a matter of months.
The apparent mistrust of Guardiola - and the
methods he brought with him - from across the
spectrum of British football is nothing new. Fellow
out-of-towner Wenger was faced with the very
same kind of suspicion from the locals when he
first landed in 1996. Then - as now – the new
foreign manager provoked hostility with his very
presence.
Wenger confounded his critics. The wheels of his
revolution turned slowly and wasn’t complete until
eight years after he started. After assembling a
winning unit custom built for winning in English
football over the course of 8-10 years, Wenger
spent the next 10 taking it apart.
Pep’s pulled it all down and tried to start again in a
matter of weeks– less a long revolution than a
coup – and as a result is coming up against
plenty of criticism from the systems he is
attempting to jolt.
Wenger and Guardiola have plenty in common.
The difference is Wenger has forgotten what it
takes to create success in English football
whereas Guardiola hasn’t learned it yet.