Four Four Two - UK (2020-11)

FourFourTwo November 2020 31

he was a bit-part player when they became
domestic champions in 1979, largely focusing
on his role coaching the youth team.
In 1983, Wenger became first-team coach
at Cannes, helping to create an academy that
later brought through Zinedine Zidane and
Patrick Vieira. A year later, he earned his first
managerial job after being lured to Nancy
by Aldo Platini, father of Michel. It was a club
struggling to hang on to its place in the top
tier of French football.
“I started in management by learning my
job well, as I had to fight every year to stay
in the league – we always had to sell our best
players,” says Wenger, speaking to FFT as he
launches new book My Life In Red and White,
the colours of every team he’s ever managed.

WengerguidedNancytoanencouraging

mid-tablefinishinhisfirstseason,buta year

latertheyonlyavoidedthedropthanksto

anend-of-seasonplay-offagainstoneofhis

formerplayingclubs,Mulhouse.Inhisthird

campaign,Nancywererelegated.

“Itwasa goodhumilityteacher,”explains

Wenger.“Ifyoustartandyouwinstraight

away,youcanthink,‘Becauseit’sme’.If you

lookin alltheyearssince,Nancyhavealways

beeninthelowerleagues– theyplayinthe

seconddivisionnow.Theirrealpotentialwas

downatthatlevel.”

Thankfully,peopleinfootballunderstood

theconstraintsthathe’dbeenworkingunder.

Nancytableda newfive-yearcontract,but

offersarrivedfromParisSaint-Germainand

Monaco,whohadexpressedinterestinhis

servicesa yearearlier.

AftermovingtothePrincipality,Wenger

neededonlyoneseasontomakeMonaco

championsforthefirsttimeinsixseasons–

swiftlysigningHoddleandfellowEnglishman

MarkHateley.That 12 monthswasarguably

themostimportantofhiscareer.

“IlearnedmyjobwithNancy– I learned

whatit is tohavenohugepotential,andto

doyourbestwithit,”hecontinues.“Forme,

thatalwaysputthingsinperspectivea bit,

wheneverI enjoyedsuccessasa manager.

ButwhenI wontheleaguetheyearafter,

thatwasimportanttoo,becauseI couldsee

thatI coulddoit.”

Monacowerebeaten2-1onaggregateby

Galatasarayintheir1988-89EuropeanCup

quarter-final,butreachedtheCupWinners’

Cupsemisa yearlater,thenthefinalofthe

samecompetitionin1992.Wengerbrought

throughplayerslikeEmmanuelPetit,Lilian

ThuramandYouriDjorkaeff,andmadea star

ofGeorgeWeah– recruitedfromCameroon

clubTonnerreYaoundeforjust£12,000.

In1994,however,Monacolost3-0toMilan

in theChampionsLeaguesemi-finals.Wenger

begantopondera departurefromtheStade

LouisII.TheMarseillematch-fixingscandal

of 1993 hadangeredhimdeeply– Monaco’s

rivalswerefoundtohavebribedValenciennes

playersinanend-of-seasonencounter,and,

whilenotproven,moreallegationssurfaced

relatingtoothermatches.Wengerhadlost

trustintheintegrityoftheleague– Monaco

hadfinishedasrunners-uptol’OMinboth

1991 and1992.

Awarethathewasunwillingtosigna new

deal,MonacofiredWengeraftera badstart

tothe1994-95campaign.Soon,heaccepted

thepositionasmanagerofJapaneseoutfit

NagoyaGrampusEight.

“Ihaddone 10 yearsinFranceandinthe

endit wasn’tveryenjoyable,soI feltit was

a goodtimetogo,”hereveals.“Ononehand,

my passion for the game was so intense, and

on the other hand, I also did this job to have

experience of different cultures and different

people. I’ve always had that curiosity in my

life – to see how life was somewhere else.”

But Wenger was joining a club who’d just

finished second bottom of the J.League, in

Gary Lineker’s last season at Nagoya. Given

theFrenchmanwasn’tshortofadmirers–

he’dturneddownanapproachfromBayern

MunichduringhistimeatMonaco– moving

toJapanwasa hugerisk.

“Manyfriendstoldme,‘You’rekillingyour

career’,andtheycouldhavebeenright,”he

says.“Irememberaftertwomonthsthere,

WerderBremencametoseemeandsaid,

‘Comeandtakeover’.ButI said,‘No,I’vejust

startedhere,I can’tmoveagain’.It wasn’t

thatI didn’twanttodoit,becauseyoufeel

slightlyhomesickatthebeginning,insuch

a differentworld.ButI’mhappythatI chose

tostaythere.”

WengeradaptedtolifeinJapan,growing

fascinatedwithsumowrestling,andguided

GrampusEighttothirdinthetable– earning

himtheJ.LeagueManageroftheYearaward.

Midwaythrough1996,theywerechallenging

forthetitlewhenArsenalcamecalling.

THEPURSUITOFPERFECTION

Workingin Englandhadbecomeanambition

forWenger.Inhislate20s,he’dtravelledto

Cambridgefora three-weekcoursetoboost

hisEnglishlanguageskills,hopingtheymight

proveimportantoneday.Onanothertrip,he

wasenthralledwhenhesawhisfirstmatch

inthecountry.

“IalwayswantedtocometoEngland,”he

says.“Formyfirstexperiencethere,I went

toLiverpoolagainstManchesterUnitedwith

a friendofmineandGerardHoullier.While

I waswatching,I thought,‘F**k’ssake,it’sso

differenthere’.I hada shock,anemotional

shock.I realised,‘NowI knowwhyfootball

wascreatedhere,inthiscountry’.I saidto

myself,‘IfI evergetanopportunitytowork

here,I wanttotakeit’.”

Eversincethatnightofcharadesin1989,

WengerandDavidDeinhadkeptintouch.

Deinvisitedthemanagerin Monacoonmore

thanoneoccasion,andhadrecommended

himfortheArsenaljobin1995.Chairman

PeterHill-WoodplumpedforBruceRioch.

WhenRioch’srelationshipwiththeboard

startedtobreakdowna yearlater,though,

thistimeDeingothiswish.Hill-Woodand

DeinmetWengerinJapaninJune 1996 to

finallyagreea deal– weeksbeforeRiochwas

sacked.Heknewhewantedtotakethejob.

“Yes,I haddecided,”hesays.“Atthattime,

myideawastostayinJapanorgotoa big

EnglishorEuropeanteam– theyearbefore,

I didn’tcompletelyconvincePeterHill-Wood!

Butlookingbackwitha distancenow,I think

Arsenal’schoicewasverybrave.”

Particularlygiventhefurorethatfollowed

theFrenchman’sappointment.‘Arsenewho?’

guffawedtheEveningStandard’s headline.

“Iremembergoingtothetraininggroundto

tellalltheplayersbeforeit wasannounced,”

Deinlaterrecalled.“I saidtotheboys,‘We’ve

ARSEn E

WEn GER

GEORGE WEAH WOn THE BALLOn D’OR AnD THEn InVITED

WEnGER On STAGE TO HAnD HIS OLD BOSS THE AWARD,

SUCH HAD BEEn THE COACH’S InFLUEnCE On HIS CAREER

Below Showing off

his stylish threads

alongside Hateley

and Hoddle; with

Weah; and as boss

of Grampus Eight

Strasbourg picture

Stuart MacFarlane