Right, so today’s practice session involved digging deep into Arsène Wenger’s football magic. Always liked the man’s brain, y’know? Been meaning to do a proper deep dive for ages, see how he built what he built. Started simple: just me, the laptop, and way too many browser tabs open.
Where It All Began
Figured best start from the top. Fired up the computer, typed in “Wenger early career Nagoya Grampus”. Bloody hell, didn’t realise Japan was such a big deal for him! Saw some grainy footage – looked proper old school. Made notes like:
- Winning stuff in Japan? Yeah, Emperor’s Cup and Super Cup. Showed he could do it outside Europe too.
- Took over Arsenal mid-season? Madness! Who does that? October ’96, just jumped straight in. Remembered fans calling him “Arsène Who?” – shows how much we knew!
Building Something Proper
Alright, focus shift: Arsenal years. Everyone talks about the Invincibles, but I needed the gritty stuff before that magic. Dug into transfers first. This was eye-opening:
- Signed some blokes for peanuts: Thierry Henry? Struggling at Juventus. Patrick Vieira? Snagged him from AC Milan reserves. Anelka? Just a kid in Paris. How’d he see that?
- Changed everything at the club: Wasn’t just about fancy football. Got rid of the booze culture, started using stats for injuries and diet. Remember reading about players shocked they couldn’t just eat chips! His methods felt alien back then.
Practically saw it unfold in old articles. Him stubbornly sticking to his vision while everyone scoffed… that took guts.
The Big, Shiny Achievement
Obviously, had to tackle the 03/04 season next. Watched the season review. My jaw dropped all over again.
That Invincible run. Seriously. 38 games. Zero defeats. Think about that! Remembered how every week became “Will this be the game they lose?” Practically held my breath rewatching the end of the Portsmouth game – Martin Keown saving it off the line. Close! The style too… Bergkamp, Pires, Henry gliding about like it was art.
More Than Just One Season
Almost ended there, but realised that’d be daft. So pulled up lists – his Arsenal trophy haul is ridiculous:
- Premier League: 3 titles (two Doubles!).
- FA Cups: Bloody 7! Remember him finally cracking it in ’05, after the Invincibles hunger faded. Then doing it again… and again.
- Champions League heartache: That ’06 final against Barcelona… Led with 10 men for ages. Felt cruel they lost late. Got them so close.
Practically felt the weight of time reading his later years – kept them competitive while building a massive new stadium, selling his best players every summer. Tough gig.
Wrapping It Up
Finished by skimming his farewell. Over 20 years at one club? Unreal. Stats flashed up: most games managed, most wins. Mental. Felt kinda melancholy remembering his final day at Huddersfield.
Ended the session just sat back thinking. Wenger wasn’t just about trophies (though he won plenty). He changed English football. He showed you could win beautifully. He built giants from unknown lads. He made rivals absolutely hate how good his team played! That legacy… that’s his real best moment. Poured another coffee and just nodded. Proper practice session done.
