When Arsene Wenger steps down as Arsenal manager, ending a career in football that already spans more than four decades, he will be remembered for several prominent characteristics.
The Frenchman's role in helping to transform the English game in the 1990s will not be forgotten. Wenger helped to advance diet, training and preparation methods, with his revolutionary ideas spreading throughout the Premier League.
His commitment to entertaining, attacking football will be recalled, as well as his knack for signing talented youngsters and turning them into world-class stars.
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The trait that arguably best defines his 19 years at Arsenal, though, is the loyalty shown to his players, which can be interpreted as both a strength and a weakness.
Indeed, while having total faith in the group at one’s disposal is an admirable stance, Wenger’s lack of ruthlessness, in comparison to other managerial greats such as Jose Mourinho and Alex Ferguson, has perhaps kept Arsenal from regaining the heights they may otherwise have hit.
Such a phenomenon was in evidence this summer, when Wenger opted against signing an outfield player because he felt that there was no one available who would have improved Arsenal’s first XI.
Karim Benzema and Edinson Cavani were two of the most high-profile players to be linked with a switch to North London; while neither striker was ever likely to join, Wenger could still have recruited a centre-forward who would have increased his side’s options ahead of a season where they will be hoping to compete for major honours on four fronts.
Instead, it appears that Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott will share the role over the next nine months, with Danny Welbeck and Joel Campbell – who has yet to start a game in the English top flight – as back-ups.
It is rare for teams to rotate between two strikers in the modern game. At Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United, there is a clear hierarchy in the forward department, with Diego Costa, Sergio Aguero, Christian Benteke and Wayne Rooney almost certain to lead the line for their respective sides. The situation is the same at many of the biggest clubs across Europe.
Given that Giroud and Walcott are very different strikers who interpret the role within Arsenal’s system in contrasting ways, it is easy to see why Wenger has adopted a policy of rotation.
Giroud’s best quality is his ability to link with Arsenal’s myriad of playmakers: while his finishing remains a notable weakness, the France international is superb at bringing others into play with his intelligent lay-offs and well-weighted flick-ons.
Unlike Giroud, Walcott’s runs tend to go behind the opposition backline, with his pace making him hard to catch when played through on goal. The threat of such speed compels wary defences to retreat, in turn opening up space for the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey.
Walcott is favourite to start Saturday as Arsenal travel across London to take on Chelsea on Saturday, just as he did against the same opposition in the Community Shield last month. Regardless of their poor domestic form, Jose Mourinho’s side are likely to see a lot of the ball, and there will be ample space for Walcott to try and take advantage of.
After five Premier League games, it seems that Wenger does not have a first-choice front man this campaign and will instead alternate between Giroud and Walcott. It remains to be seen whether his loyalty will pay off, come the season’s end.
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