I have always wondered what makes football teams great. Is it the quality of players at their disposal at certain times in their footballing history? Or possibly the level of footballing techniques and tactical upgrades they are honed with off pitch? I have wondered.
The likes of Ajax, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, AC Milan and so on, have all enjoyed relative success at different times in their clubs' history and some are still reeling off good tidings now.
So what makes success hard to achieve in football especially when resources are readily available? Come to think of it, It is just 11 men on both sides. What makes one team superior to the other? This bothers me.
Some years back, football governing body FIFA, decided to implement the Financial Fair Play initiative to prevent the so called bigger clubs from extending their superiority over the so called smaller clubs and also have a level playing field for all and sundry. The purpose was to have the so called smaller clubs dominate the football scene and go home with the biggest prizes. While the FFP is applaudable, it hasn't met its set objective since the top clubs are still winning the big prizes. So what could really be the main issue?
Here is my honest opinion about it. FOOTBALL IS PLAYED IN HEAD FIRST.
Sounds vague right?
The reason why some teams are more successful is the level and standard of football coaching grilled into the minds and hearts of the players even before setting foot on the pitch. And so precious man hours are spent during training trying to mentally build the confidence of these players and these players get on the pitch and play out scenarios already ingrained in their heads.
It is for this reason some teams can defend a 1 goal lead throughout a football game even if that solitary goal was scored in the first minute of the game.
Suffice to say also that quality players also play a massive part. But the issue of quality is subjective since football players can move from zero to hero in just a span of 3 months and the reverse could as well happen.
So much about football...
Arsene Wenger.
Here is a man who has changed the history of a football club and has taken them to greater heights. From the unbeaten run in the 2003-04 season as well as being the most successful coach in football's oldest competition, the FA Cup and championing the move to a new and better stadium.
But why has he not achieved success like his counterparts?
Here's the reason. He CANNOT convince his players to strive to aim for football's greatest glory. He has lost confidence in himself and his ability to achieve greatness in football and same is rubbing off on the outward play of his team. Exactly why there has been steady decline in the team's performance every season for the past 9 years or thereabout. Yes the FA Cup and Community Shield had come in during this time period, still yet, the club hasn't built on such success. They become lethargic, predictable and uninspired. And on and on the circle continues.
Everyone thought it was lack of quality players at his disposal especially as funds were lacking during the payback period for the new stadium. However, the loan was settled and still the club didn't progress. Instead, it declined. So it wasn't players. It was Arsene Wenger.
At the start of the 2015/16 season, the club Leicester City FC was just 'one of those teams who play football in England'. The likes of Vardy, Mahrez, Drinkwater, Kante and so on meant nothing to me, and I reckon to most football fans in England. However, the then coach of Leicester City, Claudio Ranieri started the season without any hope of winning it but as the tide turned in his favor, there was a need to up the psyche of his players and that he did perfectly well. The players were groomed to be 'monsters' on the field of play which resulted in the League Title. These weren't world class players but they defeated teams with world class players because they were grilled to do so in their heads first. They were champions off the pitch and became champions on the pitch.
Bayern under Pep in one of their Champions League games, after mauling Arsenal 5-1, Pep, the then coach of Bayern, complained bitterly that his team weren't good enough. They gave Arsenal too much space, he said. Come on man, your team just defeated an English giant 5-1 and you said they weren't good enough. Yeah right!
Conversely, I have seen Arsenal lose sheepishly to teams and Wenger says there were positives to take from the game. You wonder what is positive about losing.
So here is my take on Wenger. He is a good man who has passion for football and Arsenal. But he has lost touch with football reality and can't lead the Arsenal FC club nor any other club to greatness.
Honest truth, If he takes over the reins at Manchester City FC right now, it is almost certain they would not win the league title not because they're not good enough, but because he is the predictable Arsene Wenger.
Put football's best players right now at his disposal and they would fail miserably. He can no longer win games in his head. He can no longer inspire his players to achieve greatness.
He is Arsene Wenger.
