With the new season of Football just round the corner now is the time to have a look at some season bets to see where Arsenal might gain punters a few pounds whilst hopefully collecting some trophies and honours. There are many betting options this season involving Arsenal, and this article will review all the best bets including which bookmakers are offering the best betting odds.

Arsenal’s perennial target is the Premier League, and this season will probably be no different. After coming closer than many outsiders bargained on last season, a bet on Arsenal to take the title cannot be ignored. There is little doubt that if Arsenal remain injury-free and show consistent form, they can put up a serious challenge. However, the bookmakers rate Arsenal’s chances as slim with some online bookies giving, in our eyes, excellent betting value in underestimating Arsenal’s chances of being crowned champions. The odds on Arsenal winning the league vary slightly but a whole host of bookies, including William Hill and Stan James offer odds of 9/1, a very generous price especially as you can go each way which will payout 1/3 of the odds for a top two finish.

If Arsenal are going to win the league then goals are required, two bets that can compliment the Premier League champions stake. Robin Van Persie shoulders the greatest responsibility in goalscoring, and 10/1 is offered at Coral bookies and Sky Bet on Van Persie finishing the Premier League top scorer. Coral are also offering 50/1 on Gervinho for top scorer, superb value and worth £5 of anyone’s money for a small outside bet.

Arsenal have the potential to beat any football team given the rules of chance, and this is one reason they should never be written off in any competition. Provided they make it through the qualifying stages, Arsenal can still pose a strong threat in the Champions League and the 24/1 that Unibet bookmakers are currently offering is great value. Another that stands out at the same bookies are betting odds of 9/2 for Arsenal to make the semi-final stage of the Champions League.

The most widespread opinion on Arsenal often cites the fact that the club has been without a trophy for several seasons and there is a good chance that Arsene Wenger may try and relieve the pressure in knockout competitions, by targeting the FA Cup. Most of the leading bookmakers have Arsenal fourth or fifth favourites to lift the famous trophy, with the best price found again at Coral who are the only bookmakers to offer odds of 10/1 for Arsenal to win the FA Cup.

Arsenal may well play younger players from the squad in the Carling Cup but this shouldn’t put people off having a bet on them. After reaching last year’s final they well could have the hunger and desire to go one step further and win it. Odds of 10/1 can be found from Bet365 and Bodog . You could even double up on a Cup double to win some huge money.

We’ve chosen to go for a classic 3-5-2 formation given the bias towards Premier League players from the 1990s and 2000s.

In attack Kevin Kyle of Hearts partners Wayne Rooney, who ran up £700,000 of gambling debt in 2006. This was mainly on dogs, horses and football, which brought to light renewed concerns over gambling culture within modern top flight football as a form of relaxation. It’s unlikely you’ll see him in any US casinos during Manchester United’s preseason tour there, as the players seem happy occupying themselves with FIFA online.

The midfield is a mix of skill and grit, with an obvious choice in Paul Merson on the right, a player whose name immediately comes to mind when casinos are mentioned. He was one of the first players jettisoned in the Wenger reign and claims to have lost £7 million to gambling and cocaine addiction. Meanwhile on the other flank Matthew Etherington provides some width as a decent left winger. The Stoke City midfielder gambled regularly as a West Ham player until events became too much for him, and the club had to help bail him out. In the centre is ex-Chelsea and Barcelona player Eidur Gudjohnsen who lost £400,000 in casinos.

Didi Hamann and Michael Johnson form a midfield duo, which is surprisingly solid, if lacking a little in pace. Didi Hamann formerly of Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester City built up a £600,000 debt and was under threat of legal action to repay the cash. Meanwhile fellow Man City player Michael Johnson was an exciting young talent who struggled with alcohol and gambling, and lost his way.

In defence John Terry, lines up with old pal Wayne Bridge, both of whom used to spend vast sums on dogs and horses , rather than online casinos in their days together at Chelsea. This pairing is slightly awkward in more ways than one, as Bridge is more accustomed to a role out wide. Finally Jonathon Woodgate makes up the third defender, a man who was reported to have lost £1.8 million in casinos. Meanwhile the ‘keeper Roy Carroll was also reported to have suffered problems at West Ham.

The topic of gambling amongst footballers is one of public interest and debate, with worthwhile research being conducted into the causes and consequences for the modern game. The habit has been widely commented on in the media, and with more revelations in recent years, looks set to continue.

Is winning trophies the definition of a good side? Most football fans would agree that it proves something, but there are always those who judge sides on other merits. Indeed the cult of the glorious loser is one that only increases with age.

The pain of defeat: Carsten Jancker in tears after losing 2-1 to United in the Champions League Final 1999, and Jack Wilshere confiding in Eboue after the latest Arsenal defeat.

Say what you like about the Carling Cup, but it represents something tangible, a measure of mental strength, which Wenger’s current side, led by Cesc Fábregas have been accused of lacking time and again. There are those who claim arrogance on the part of Wenger’s charges in their adherence to a certain style of play, but it has to be said that in terms of basic quality the side does have the potential to win something.

Remember, they only remember the winners

They say history only remembers the winners and there is no doubt that winning titles is the definition of a successful side. But the best losers are not always forgotten, and the worst winners not always looked upon fondly.

In his interview with Sid Lowe, Xavi, that magician of Barcelona, made a good point when he said that only certain winners will be remembered. His jibes were mainly aimed at the treble winners of 2010, Inter Milan, who beat Barcelona without a hint of desire for the ball in Camp Nou under Mourinho. What is true though is that great sides that never were also retain some nostalgia, perhaps tainted with a slight bitterness for the potential never fulfilled, and therefore the greatness never fully recognised.

So in a rather roundabout way this brings us to the essence of the idea. In the most simplistic of methods we can make a comparison between different clubs, to look firstly at how successful they have been – their dominance at various times. Not only that but it allows us to view the so called ‘barren’ periods, where the records are blank, to resurrect the stories of the nearly men, and so provide an evaluation of the true worth of the historical records.

People hold up Barcelona as a shining example of a Wenger style of play delivering results, and indeed Xavi mentioned that teams such as Arsenal should evolve and change their methods, to attain the ultimate goal of winning. However, no-one mentions the fact that Barca went without a trophy from 1999 until 2005. Even then Barcelona were arguably a better side in 2009/10 than in 2008/09, and yet they were treble winners that year – is one trophy more meaningful than three, including that most coveted of large shiny vessels, ‘big ears’, the Champions League?

There is an even greater sense of nostalgia when it comes to World Cups, most probably due to the fact they occur only every four years, leaving few chances for great players to make their mark, over just a handful of games on the stage the whole world turns out to watch. Many have commented on the best sides who never made it, the Hungarians in 1954, the Dutch in 1974, or the Brazilians of 1982. At international level the brevity of the tournaments does mean that truly great sides only get a tiny sprinkling of minutes to condense their play into wins. This naturally increases the chances of the best sides not winning.

When it comes to judging success at club level there is one reason why trophies do physically represent a good side, in the fact that the duration of the season means only the team able to endure the most, and produce consistently can triumph in a large league, or pull off simultaneous cup wins.

In that light here is a brief comparison of a selection of several top English clubs: Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham, as well as Arsenal, all of whom are currently inhabit the upper echelons of the Premier League table, and all of whom have league winning sides in their past.

Giants of the North West

At Manchester United the story is somewhat similar to Arsenal in terms of two managers dominating the club’s history. At United Busby and then Ferguson provided the two phases of real success, and like Wenger, Ferguson is also the current incumbent.

United’s 18 league titles, 11 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 3 European Cups and 1 Cup Winners’ Cup

Apart from two titles and an FA Cup in the early years of the 20th Century, United were quiet on the trophy front until after World War Two, with their greatest exploits coming under Busby in the 1950s and 1960s. There is a hiatus in trophy winning after that fateful Munich disaster of 1958 which decimated the ‘Busby Babes’, there exists a team truly unable to fulfil its potential. United did experience a resurgence, winning two titles and the European Cup from 1965 to 1968. Indeed, Busby was the first to win the European Cup for an English club, beating Benfica 4-1 with the likes of George Best, ten years after the Munich air disaster

Those United sides of Matt Busby are the ones remembered fondly, and they did back their success up with title wins, albeit in nowhere near as great quantities as Sir Alex has amassed in his time at the club.

From the 1960s the club experienced relatively sparse years in terms of trophies, with three FA Cups until Sir Alex joined the club in 1986. Fergie famously took several years to develop the team, and struggled initially, but given time he pushed the club into the role of winners, taking the FA Cup in 1990 against Crystal Palace. That was arguably the title that saved his job.

Meanwhile the maturation of a generation of Ferguson youth players fortuitously coincided with the breakaway of the top English clubs into the Premier League in 1992, from which point the disparity of wealth and trophy accumulation in English football became greater. United were poised perfectly to exploit this gap, but not only that, they have managed to maintain success across several different sides from the early Irwin or Cantona, then Keane and Beckham to Ronaldo and Rooney, with veterans such as Giggs and Scholes providing the winning link across the generations.

The Champions League win in 1999 was the culmination of that most successful of United sides, at a time when competition between Arsenal and United was intensifying in a two horse race in the Premier League. Indeed, there is a blip with the arrival of Arsène Wenger at Arsenal from 1998 until 2003 when Arsenal and United were the two almost uncontested contenders for the title.

Ferguson has won 35 trophies at United, presiding over their most successful period, and he makes an important distinction in his terming of success:

“I judge my success by trophies… We know we have to perform to make sure we are always up there.”

“But what is success? You could have a team who finishes in the top three or four every season and get to the final of a cup competition but don’t go on and win it. I don’t think that is failure. That is relative success.”

“You have kept your team in a competitive situation throughout the season. You are in Europe and contesting the Champions League.”

Ferguson managed United to success in trophies, but also relative success too, consistently maintaining competitiveness, and only going two or three years without a trophy, including in the transition years from 2004 until 2007. United undoubtedly replaced Liverpool as the dominant club in England based on the trophy record. However, in perspective, United’s current wealth of trophies came after a prolonged period with few successes, and thirty five years without a league title.

Liverpool are a case in point, the most successful side in England is without a league trophy in twenty years, since 1990, although they have come close on several occasions. Kenny Dalglish is back in charge at Liverpool, and in fact he was the last manager to lift a league title with the club, though they have had some success in cup competitions.

Liverpool’s 18 league titles, 7 FA Cups, 7 League Cups, 5 European Cups, and 3 UEFA Cups

It is Liverpool’s sides of the 1970s and 80s who came to dominate English football, and this persisted until the reign of one Grahame Souness, upon whose appointment Liverpool promptly blew millions on flops and slid rapidly down the table.

Liverpool waited six years for a trophy between 1995 and 2001, but already by that point the side had not won a league title for eleven years. Some claim Liverpool were a side of title winning potential under Roy Evans from 1994-1997, though he is never given credit, and in fact they never won the trophies to back that claim up, a sole League Cup triumph in 1995 is generally disregarded.

Under Houiller and Benitez they experienced somewhat of a resurgence, but never recovered to win that elusive 19th League title. In 2009 though with an in form combination of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard the side looked likely to take the league, even recording a resounding 4-1 win at Old Trafford, only to fall at the final hurdle and give Manchester United the record equalling 18th title. The efforts of that side were never recognised by the sound of chisel on metal, and they have to make to with the achievement of a slightly earlier Benitez side, that which won the Champions League in 2005, and the FA Cup in 2006.

The London Clubs

The record of Chelsea and Tottenham is one which shows the relative paucity of titles in London excepting Arsenal’s thirteen. Tottenham were the first club to win the double in 1961, a feat only seconded in 1971 by Arsenal and Charlie George. Arsenal’s trophy record is the third strongest in the country, though the gap since 2005 is clear.

Arsenal’s 13 league titles, 10 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, 1 Cup Winners Cup, and 1 Fairs Cup

Spurs’ longevity in English football is exemplified by their 1901 and 1921 FA Cup win, but with just two league titles to their name they cannot claim to be a side with long term success in England. Bill Nicholson presided over the most successful period in their history, beginning with the 1961 double and ending with the 1972 UEFA Cup, and 1973 League Cup wins. The starting for these graphics differ slightly, so Spurs’ is actually stretched over twenty years longer to accommodate their early FA Cup wins.

Tottenham’s 2 league titles, 8 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, and 2 UEFA Cups

The wait for a league title over forty years has been tempered by the addition of five FA Cups and European triumphs, but since the 1991 FA Cup, where a Gascoigne powered Tottenham beat Arsenal and then Nottingham Forest at Wembley, the club has had to make do with two League Cup titles. It is only now after years of sustained investment that Harry Redknapp has been able to build a Spurs side capable of qualifying for Europe.

Chelsea were another side with mid Twentieth century success. Their first and sole title pre-Abramovich came in 1955, after which they suffered several periods of rise and fall, this culminated in increased investment under Ken Bates and his team, including the development of Stamford Bridge, one factor which encouraged Roman Abramovich to buy the club.

Chelsea’s 4 league titles, 6 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, and 2 Cup Winners’ Cups

The arrival of Abramovich is probably the defining event of modern English football, and the model is now replicated at the likes of Manchester City under the sheiks. Abramovich’s investment after purchasing the club for £140 million in 2003 was the enabler for Chelsea’s sustained push which saw them gain two league titles under Mourinho in 2005 and 2006, and a third four years later under Ancelotti in 2010, as well as three FA Cups.

Previously Chelsea suffered a fifty year gap in league title wins, though they now hold four to their name, the football odds were against them. The sides of the 1990s and early 2000s did challenge for honours, and with the likes of Zola and Vialli at the helm won the FA Cup and Cup Winners Cup at the turn of the millennium, but never looked like consistent title winners.

What is clear from the Chelsea parable is that instability in managerial regimes wins you nothing. The philosophy of the Mourinho years built a unit of players which struggled to adapt to his alienation and departure, resulting in a gap which Manchester United exploited to full potential to take home three trophies.

The future of English football may lie in the new money, that of Manchester City, and out of interest their titles are included below. Indeed, their record is rather like that of Chelsea pre-Abramovich, though that will most likely change.

Man City’s 2 league titles, 4 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, and 1 Cup Winners’ Cup

At Arsenal the record compares favourably with that of Chelsea and Spurs, but lags behind the giants of Liverpool and Manchester United, both on 18 titles. The patterns of the current era shows how times change, although Liverpool have a weight of history behind them, their current league position shows they are not the side they were under Benitez, whilst Chelsea are not even playing like the same side which won the double last year.

The ideology of winning is something built, but which needs to be maintained. Liverpool lost the connection after 1990, Arsenal have not faltered to the same extent in terms of league position, but the generation gap between the current crop and the likes of Henry, Vieira and Adams is growing.

Ivan Gazidis on Arsenal winning things:

“I think Arsène has said that winning trophies is compulsory at Arsenal. It is always compulsory”

“We judge ourselves on the pride we create for our fanbase. That pride is created through all kinds of different things. One of them clearly is trophies. That is critical for a club of Arsenal’s size but there are other things that drive pride, including the style of football we play and the values that we represent.”

In that quote Gazidis has hit the nail on the head, and in a way Ferguson also made the same point with his comments about ‘relative success’ – an achievement based on principle, within a constrained budget, and remain competitive is a feat, that is as much as Wenger is achieving at the moment. This ties in with the economic view of footballing success, increasingly relevant in the modern game, an argument which could vindicate Wenger’s transfer and youth policies.

In the long term perspective the record of Wenger is that of the most successful manager the club has ever seen, in the same way that Ferguson is for United, Mourinho at Chelsea or Paisley at Liverpool. What is most interesting in the latter two cases are the individuals who came before.

At Liverpool it is universally accepted that Shankly built the famous ‘boot room’ and laid the foundations for the greater success of his successor, whilst in a much more short term move Ranieri undoubtedly built a core of defensive stability at Chelsea which Mourinho moulded into a successful side.

If these graphics show anything it is that in English football success is impermanent. Dynasties can be built, but no team lasts forever, and eventually it falls to another to take the crown. The Premier League is more competitive than ever today, and the myriad of tournaments clubs feature in play out in different manners, affecting teams in different ways.

A six year hiatus is nothing compared with the long stretch of eighteen years, and in that respect the understanding of what Wenger is building is tolerated. As Ferguson says, managers need time to do their job properly. However, to be recognised as successful, Alex is correct in saying that this is judged purely on trophies.

With that notion secure, the requirement for Wenger to take a trophy to prove that this team is as good as he claims, though whether the Carling Cup is really the stage for that is questionable. What is not in doubt is the difficulty in now rebuilding the morale of a team which is quite clearly knocked. Whether or not Arsenal really value the Carling Cup, the symbolic meaning of the competition was not understated. Nevertheless the club has more than one chance at proving themselves on the highest level. A trophy can make or break a side, and though six years is relatively short in real terms, for one generation of a team that is all it takes to lose the winning mentality.

European continental competition is club football’s greatest stage, the final frontier, a pinnacle of achievement. Millions of people around the globe watched Arsenal’s 2-1 Champions League triumph over Barcelona last Wednesday night. This was Arsenal’s first against the ‘best team in history’, and most of all this was a moment to savour for Arsène Wenger. Success in Europe has consistently evaded Wenger, arguably the greatest manager never to win a European trophy.

There is no doubting Wenger’s depth of experience in Europe. Even in his modest playing career he managed to appear at centre back in a UEFA Cup tie for RC Strasbourg in 1979. His selection there was out of desperation, the youth team coach called into the side against Duisberg, only to see his side lose 4-0. As a manager though, he is a veteran, playing teams in Europe since 1988, and leading Arsenal into the Champions League every year since 1998. However, the pain of those campaigns which never quite lived up to expectation still lingers.

Wenger and Jean Petit on the bench during Monaco’s 1992 Cup Winners’ Cup final in Lisbon.

Wenger’s first European final came in the 1992 Cup Winners’ Cup. After missing out on the 1991 league title to Marseilles, Arsène had to be content with taking the Coupe de France, providing Monaco with a crack at the Cup Winners Cup in 1991/92. The Cup Winners Cup was subsequently absorbed into the UEFA Cup, which now goes by the moniker Europa League, but its predecessor had a respectable history. Ferguson’s Manchester United lifted the title the previous season in 1991 after a 2-1 win over Barcelona, and George Graham’s Arsenal would famously triumph in the same competition in 1994 against Parma.

Monaco’s 1992 European run coincided with a glorious season; pushing Marseilles close in the title race, alongside a run to the final of the Coupe de France. George Weah was in sparkling form up front, scoring 18 goals in the league, whilst upcoming starlet Youri Djourkaeff scored 9 from midfield alone.

This was Wenger’s third attempt in Europe; having lost 2-1 to Galatasaray in the European Cup Quarter Finals of 1989, and 4-2 in the 1990 Cup Winners’ Cup last 16 against Torpedo Moscow. He was determined to use this opportunity to win a European trophy for Monaco, with his strongest side since joining from Nancy in 1987. The 1991/92 tournament began emphatically enough with a 10-1 aggregate win over Swansea City, whilst Monaco went on to defeat both Roma and Feyenoord.

The scene

Arsène’s Monaco were paired against German side Werder Bremen in the final, a team growing in strength under Otto Rehhagel, the manager who later ‘achieved the impossible’ in winning Euro 2004 with Greece. Otto had turned Bremen into a footballing force in Germany using the same kontrollierte Offensive philosophy which, although contrasting somewhat starkly with Wenger’s attacking philosophy, had propelled Werder to the fore in the Bundesliga. This same team were to win the Bundesliga title the following season, 1992/93.

Wenger’s first European final was to be played  at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, the country where he spent the previous summer watching the 1991 under-20 European Championships with a certain Gerard Houllier. As ever Wenger was consistently putting the hours in meticulously researching the future stars of Europe, and three young players destined to make their mark on European graced the Monaco side of the 1992 final; the legendary Emmanuel Petit, Youri Djorkaeff and Lilian Thuram.

A young Emmanuel Petit, playing at centre back.

In hindsight this is a crucially significant game in Wenger’s Monaco career; the prelude to a storm. The final itself was overshadowed by events in Corsica, where a temporary stand collapsed during the Coupe de France fixture between Bastia and Marseilles. Eighteen people died, and 2,300 were injured. Monaco immediately decided not to go ahead with the final, and UEFA agreed at first, but inexplicably changed their minds.

Wenger’s assistant Jean Petit:

“Arsène was inconsolable. He asked what we were doing over there. We were about to play a match in Portugal, when football had been, well, killed by this tragedy”.

Arsène did not allow the Monaco players to leave the hotel; instead they were hidden away from the journalists hovering for comment, whilst Wenger travelled to Corsica to pay respects to victims. The lives of those who died would be on the players’ minds during the final.

Monaco fans send a message to Corsica.

The final itself was a rather odd affair, an anti-climax. Both clubs took relatively few fans; only 16,000 attended the game, a paltry figure considering the 44,000 who had crammed in to watch Manchester United overcome Barcelona 2-1 in the previous year’s final.

The empty Estadio da Luz in 1992, a ‘flat occassion’.

Claude Puel remembers:

“On the night of the game we arrived at this massive stadium in Lisbon which can house 120,000 people to find only 15,000 spectators sitting there. There was absolutely no atmosphere. The banks of empty seats made it feel like a non-league game. It was unnerving and we were all affected. Even Wenger, whose job it was to overcome such situations and motivate us, ensuring we were concentrating on the job at hand, was subdued. It was a non-match. A flat occasion.”

The Wrong Match

Arsène gave his sides chances as 50/50 in his prematch interview, and his line-up was strong, with Patrick Valéry and Luc Sonor as the right and left back respectively. Emmanuel Petit was named as centre back partner to Mendy for the day.

In midfield the skilful Gérald Passi was paired with Marcel Dib, whilst Jérôme Gnako played down the right, and the speedy Fofana be preferred to play wider on the left, using his pace in attack. The number eight, Rui Barros was positioned more centrally, behind George Weah playing up front.

In effect Monaco lined up with something akin to a 4-4-1-1, although in some respects it could even be described as a 4-2-3-1, a theme explored in Wenger’s earlier European campaigns. The formation was generally fluid, incorporating Wenger’s persistent obsession with pace.

Monaco took to the field with a high line, pressing and making use of the overlapping full backs. Werder meanwhile played true to the kontrollierte Offensive, putting almost no pressure on Monaco, instead relying on the physicality of the defence including Uli Borowka and Thomas Wolter. Offensively they looked to launch lightening counter attacks, sporadically raiding into the Monaco half.

Monaco press – Sonor and Valéry (yellow) made forward runs alternately, whilst in blue Petit (near) and Mendy (far) marshalled the back line. Dib in the holding role is marked green.

Les Monagesques dominated the early phases, although there were few clear chances. Fofana looked dangerous on the left, pacey as ever, whilst Sonor and Valéry pushed upfield leaving Petit and Mendy in defence. In midfield Marcel Dib played the holding role, distributing passes to the front men, with Passi alongside him. However, set pieces and crosses into the box were the main threats to Werder as Monaco exploited the flanks.

Throughout the game the interchanging of positions in the Monaco midfield was emphasized. Weah would sometimes move onto the flank and Gnako would come in to the centre. With Weah in the centre Monaco would lob balls over the top in an attempt to pit Weah’s pace against the Bremen defence.

Consistent pressure does produce results, but also crucial weaknesses. Bremen kept the door firmly shut on Monaco’s advances, and then proceeded to close the first half with a goal. A looping freekick from Bremen’s half found its way into the Monaco box, and Petit lost out on the header. With the ball bouncing inexorably forwards Mendy was wrongfooted and hero Klaus Allofs pounced on the half volley, searing past Jean Luc Ettori.

Second Half

In the second half Monaco employed an even higher defensive line as they pushed for a response to Werder’s opener. The flanks were again exploited heavily, as the fullbacks looked to cut the ball back from the byline into the box. The right flank was key with passing triangles and link up play between Weah, Barrios and the number seven Gnako.

However their efforts were in vain, as a second Werder goal came. Petit pushed forward pressing Werder at the halfway line in an attempt to win the ball, but he lost the tackle; left sprawling on the floor. Allofs picked up the loose ball near the centre spot and picked out Wynton Rufer making a forward run, playing a simple ball over the top as Rufer ran between Valery and Mendy, neither of whom tracked back. Monaco were picked off in a moment of counterattacking perfection, all that was required was a mistake and the high line was exploited to the fullest extent, Ettori was again left helpless as Rufer made it 2-0.

The second goal. Klaus Allofs made the pass from the halfway line to the onrushing Rufer (pink), between Mendy and Valéry (yellow). Monaco’s high line in effect.

Monaco became increasingly desperate as Wenger’s side searched for a way back into the match, but against Rehhagel’s controlled tactics the frugality was the theme. Monaco’s pressing only increased, whilst Fofana came off, replaced by Benjamin Clement and right back Valéry for the young and highly talented Youri Djorkaeff.

Now Djourkaeff held the centre of the pitch, mesmerising spectators with his range of passing and talent on the ball. Dib fell back to cover right back when needed exchanging with Gnako, adapting to the situation as Werder sat back and Monaco pushed everyone forward. In terms of formation the side became amorphous, Clement playing up front, on the left and right, with Dib and Djourkaeff drifting in the centre. Although Monaco were now desperately pushing for a goal, their efforts lacked the quality final ball to penetrate the layered Grün-Weißen defence. Werder had every man behind the ball, and only pressed when Monaco managed to reach the final third; thwarting their forays forward.

A young Youri Djourkaeff can’t break through Rehhagel’s defence.

Bremen continued to look for the positions to break, and they were constantly found offside as they attempted through balls into the channels, although by the end they were often simply punting the ball downfield.

Monaco showed flair at times, knocking small one-twos and triangles on either flank, and time and again Djourkaeff looked to pull off moves with slick skill, but overall lacked an end product. At the final whistle the players collapsed on the pitch, overcome with the emotion of the moment, undoubtedly drained. There is sparse footage of Wenger and Monaco wallowing in the pain of defeat as the Bremen players celebrate ecstatically in front of their 5000 travelling fans.

Wenger after the 1992 loss:

“When you have lost the final of the European cup, you have hit rock bottom”.

Otto Rehhagel and Werder Bremen celebrate their 2-0 victory.

The End Game

Ultimately Wenger’s first European final was Otto’s day, the culmination of his teambuilding efforts at Bremen, in the long term this result set a pattern for Wenger’s European credentials. Of three major European finals he has won none. The second attempt came against Galatasaray, where Arsenal lost 4-1 on penalties in the 2000 UEFA Cup final, allowing a Turkish club to win a European trophy for the first time, whilst losing to Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final was yet another painful day.

The 1992 final has always been used as the reflecting pool for Wenger’s time with Monaco where he established a great team playing good football, but fell short; always second best. Despite Wenger’s first League title in 1988 and the Coupe de France triumphs in 1989 and 1991, this still holds true for the 1992 season. Monaco qualified for two finals, and were fighting for the league title with Marseilles. However, due to the tragedy in the Bastia semi-final, the Coupe de France final was cancelled, whilst finishing second in the league to Marseilles. It would take another year for the Tapie bribery scandal to explode, as far as anyone knew Marseilles were simply too good for Monaco. It was a trophyless year of frustration, and the beginning of the end for Wenger’s great Monaco side.

Claude Puel again:

“For me, the disintegration of that squad started in May 1992. A fortnight from the end of the league, we were tied with Marseille and we had reached the finals of the Coupe de France and the Cup Winners’ Cup, but we ended up fading horribly.”

Indeed, the Werder game was Weah’s last major appearance for Monaco. The frustration of the experience led to him signing for PSG in the summer of 1992, whilst Gérald Passi moved to St Etienne. Here there is a contrast with the current Wenger side, where teambuilding has been sustained, the experience with Monaco stood Wenger in good stead.

Jean Petit assistant manager emphasized the frustration at the inability to build the team, something which has become almost an obsession for Wenger, as apparent today as ever.

“We had the best players in France. With such a squad, with such players, we wanted to keep the structure in place for subsequent years. It was so frustrating that we didn’t manage to do that.”

Wenger’s first great side never recovered to their former heights, eventually culminating in his departure from the club in 1994/95. Ironically his fate was intertwined with that of his first European final opponent, Otto Rehhagel, something which the football betting couldn’t have predicted. In 1994 Bayern Munich approached Wenger to become manager, but when he decided to honour his Monaco contract Bayern hired Rehhagel in his place. Wenger was subsequently sacked and missed the opportunity at Bayern, moving instead to Japan, and Nagoya Grampus Eight.

At Arsenal the story has unfolded rather differently, but the tug of Europe abides. Still the belief persists that Wenger can triumph on the continental stage. Defeating Barcelona’s superlative side has added weight to Arsenal’s credentials this season, an undoubtedly brilliant performance, but if the hard work of the first leg comes undone at the Nou Camp Wenger will have to wait yet another year for his chance at European glory.

Line Ups: Cup Winners’ Cup Final, 6 May 1992, Estádio da Luz, Lisbon

AS Monaco: 1 Jean-Luc Ettori, 2 Patrick Valéry, 3 Luc Sonor, 4 Emmanuel Petit, 5 Roger Mendy, 6 Marcel Dib, 7 Jérôme Gnako, 8 Rui Barros, 9 George Weah, 10 Gérald Passi, 11 Youssouf Fofana. Manager: Arsène Wenger

SV Werder Bremen: 1 Jürgen Rollmann, 2 Manfred Bockenfeld, 3 Thomas Wolter, 4 Rune Bratseth, 5 Marco Bode, 6 Ulrich Borowka, 7 Dieter Eilts, 8 Miroslav Votava, 9 Frank Neubarth, 10 Wynton Rufer, 11 Klaus Allofs. Manager: Otto Rehhagel

Part of a series – Wenger: the Beginnings

This season has seen the rising form of Samir Nasri capture the imagination of the footballing world, and his importance to Arsenal even prompted the placing of the Frenchman on a par with Cesc Fabregas where team selection is concerned.

By contrast another key player, who often inhabits the opposite flank, Andrey Arshavin, has been the subject of criticism over his performances in 2010/11. This season a perception has prevailed in sections of the public, which sees Arshavin as playing very poorly this season. There are valid points to this, his passing has at times been inaccurate, and there is the old criticism that he just doesn’t run enough. There is still room for debate on the topic though.

Both players have played almost exactly the same amount of minutes in the Premier League this season, Nasri on 1559 minutes, and Arshavin on 1597, playing 39 minutes extra, this makes the two attacking midfielders perfect for comparison.

The graphs below detail the contribution in goals and assists over the games played. The closer the lines to the cumulative minutes the more regularly the players are scoring and creating goals. The comparison is interesting.

Nasri is clearly not involved in the final part of moves creating goals, though that’s not to say he is not involved in engineering chances, but he is very likely to get on the end of a pass and finish calmly. This is based partly on his speed; he’s second fastest only to Theo Walcott in the squad, and partly on his skill and deft touch – there has been abundant evidence of that this season, such as those two wonderful goals against Fulham.

Arshavin’s data looks rather different. Here is a player who despite the criticism does create goals for the side. The eleven assists he’s made have come reasonably regularly and do belie a player who contributes something to the team. Indeed, he was involved in creating the first Nasri goal in that Fulham game, a wonderful example of the differing contribution of both players in one succinct move.

Andrey has always had the reputation for a player who can ‘go missing’, a flair player, who doesn’t have the bustling physicality so often placed on a pedestal in British footballing culture. Nevertheless Andrey has been a key tool in Wenger’s development of a new look attack using the 4-2-3-1 formation centred on the passing abilities of Cesc Fabregas.

The contrast in roles is very easy to see here, although Nasri is used in a similar position to Arshavin, out wide in the 4-2-3-1, both play the game in completely different ways. As Jonathon Wilson repeatedly says, formation is neutral – it is the individuals who make the team – and that fact is played out here.

The perception in public is that Arshavin has had a very average run of form over the mid part of the current season. This idea is only strengthened by the fact that Andrey was dropped for several games, and replaced by Theo Walcott, who is in real form providing assists and goals, most evident in the first half of the 4-4 game at St. James’ Park against Newcastle (more from footballscores.com), albeit the unflattering final result.

One statistical point of note is the fact that almost 50% of all Arshavin’s assists have come in games Arsenal have either drawn or lost, whereas two thirds of Nasri’s goals are scored in games Arsenal have won.

The passing form of Arshavin has been covered here before, but in general terms he is having a season of fluctuating form. He himself has admitted that much, but his contribution is still clear, and he does provide a different option to Walcott on the flanks.

Nasri meanwhile is in excellent form and Arsenal wait on news of his fitness ahead of the Barcelona game on Wednesday night. Wenger says he is ‘physically ready’, but whether he starts remains to be seen. In the longer term his contribution to the final third of the season will be crucial in Arsenal’s title push.

Simple comparisons of individual contributions might not always be the best estimation of a player’s worth. However, the data presented here clearly shows the development of two very separate roles within the Arsenal side.

Read more on statistics in Football Data or watch Nasri’s goals at Marseilles

Today Arsène Wenger stands as one of the most respected managers in football. When he moved into the Arsenal hot seat in 1996 no-one could have predicted the influence he would have on not just the Gunners, but the whole of English football.

His managerial career hasn’t always been full of praise and plaudits though. Pundits will always quote his time and France as the seven years he spent at Monaco from 1987, winning the league and cup and the appearance in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup final, but the story starts years earlier.

Arsène Wenger as a young coach, interviewed in 1984 on taking the job with AS Nancy. Interview and translation.

Before being handed the reins at the principality club Wenger had gone through a tough initiation. Starting as RC Strasbourg’s youth team coach in 1981, he spent two years there before joining AS Cannes as an assistant manager to Jean-Marc Guillou in 1983 (later of KSK Beveren). After just a year in Cannes it was time for Arsène to take his first senior job, at AS Nancy-Lorraine, after being offered the job by a certain Aldo Platini.

The 1983-84 AS Cannes squad, Wenger far left in the middle row, whilst Guillou is far right. Credit: Accroupis

The man he was replacing at Nancy was former player Hervé Collot. The full back had spent his entire playing career at Nancy, with two runners-up medals in the Coupe de France and a career spanning thirteen years, not to mention two years in charge of Les Chardons, Wenger had some big shoes to fill.

What better way for the Wenger era to start and a trip to the Parc des Princes to take on the mighty Paris St-Germain, as 17,000 fans turned up to see their side sweep aside lowly Nancy.

Nancy’s Didier Casini had different ideas and put the away side a goal up, though the dream start didn’t last long and PSG soon went ahead 2-1. The match ended with the home fans stunned to silence as Albert Cartier, Robert II Jacques and Francois Zahoui all found the back of the net to give Nancy a wonderful away win, and Wenger racked up his first three points.

AS Nancy’s Zahoui and Casini, football stickers from 1986. Courtesy of ASNL Story.

Unfortunately the homecoming parade was cut short as Bordeaux came to town and in front of 15,000 excited and intrigued home fans midfielder Alain Giresse, part of France’s Euro 84 winning team, scored the only goal of the game. The home fans would have to get used to this losing feeling as throughout Wenger’s three seasons at the club it happened more than any other result. Nancy would go on and take part in what can only be described as an inconsistent season, finishing in eleventh, a respectable position and six points away from relegation.

It was not all doom and gloom for Wenger’s Nancy as they managed to do the double over French giants Marseille. Travelling to the south of France to take on L’OM in the fabled Stade Vélodrome, the home side featured Englishman Laurie Cunningham who had only four years previously won La Liga with Real Madrid, and the current Marseille Sporting Director and former defender José Anigo.

In a tight game it was left to Nancy’s Uruguayan midfielder Ruben Umpierrez to grab the winner. To up the ante he waited until the 90th minute to take his moment. Umpierrez went on to win the L’Étoile d’Or award for player of the season. It was a fantastic achievement for a player who played over 200 games for Nancy and scored 63 goals.

With six weeks to go in the season Marseille travelled to Nancy who knew they had to win to help their fight against relegation. Wenger’s side weren’t in a generous mood, and although Cunningham put L’OM ahead, Eric Bruno equalised just after half-time and then Umpierrez scored a brace to sink the famous Marseille.

Unfortunately there is very little information on how Wenger set out his team in the Nancy days. There are nods to the attacking principles he uses with Arsenal today; in his first season, although finishing eleventh, Nancy finished the season with as many goals as fourth placed Auxerre, then under Guy Roux, although they conceded fifty four to give them a goal difference of -1. The defence was obviously a problem; three teams below them had conceded fewer goals.

The 1984-85 season ended in just a spectacular fashion as it had started. PSG made the trip to Nancy trying to avenge the 4-2 defeat that started the season and seal a finish above Wenger’s men. With nothing to play for less than 4,000 fans turned up to see the home side give PSG a 6-1 hammering. Maybe the good feeling could continue to the new season.

1985-86: A second coming?

How the fortunes of PSG and Nancy were to change for the 1985-86 season. Paris St-Germain were crowned Champions and Nancy finished 18th, and had to take on Wenger’s old club FC Mulhouse over two legs in a Playoff to save their Division 1 presence.

The campaign didn’t start well. Taking on Jacques Santini’s Toulouse side, Nancy were handed a 4-1 defeat. There was better news as Wenger led his side on a four game winning streak that was only broken in a trip to the capital to take on Gerard Houllier’s PSG, the future champions. The game finished 2-0 and Robert II Jacques whom Wenger had sold to Houllier opened the scoring.

Wenger would have his revenge when PSG visited, as Adriano Fegić scored after thirty two minutes to give Nancy the lead and they managed to squeeze out a 1-0 win. This was not the last time Wenger would get the better of Houllier in their managerial duels.

AS Nancy’s Adriano Fegic, football sticker from 1986. Courtesy of ASNL Story.

That was the high point of the season; Nancy ended the year nine games without a win which proved enough to force the playoff with Mulhouse. With the goals drying up, the defence didn’t improve as much as Wenger must have wanted.

Luckily they managed to find their shooting boots for the opening home leg of the playoff; an excellent 3-0 win put them in a great position to stay in the First Division. Mulhouse tried their hardest and beat Wenger’s men 2-0 to push the game to the wire. They hung on and win the game on aggregate; Wenger would remain in the top flight.

Arsène’s third and final year at the club proved to be one of his worst. In 1986-87 Nancy only won eight of the thirty eight games played. However, although the goals had dried up; they scored only twenty eight, there is a much more interesting statistic which may give you an idea as to why Monaco took a chance on a manager who had only won 29% of his 114 games.

AS Nancy squad photo 1986-87. Wenger is far right, middle row, seen here at the beginning of his final season with Nancy. Aldo Platini, Michel’s father and Sporting director at AS Nancy is on the far left, bottom row. Credit: Accroupis

Even though Nancy would finish the 1986-87 season in the bottom two, and ultimately find themselves relegated to the Second Division, during the campaign the defence had improved dramatically. Nancy recorded an amazing seventeen clean sheets, in a season where they lost seventeen games that showed the potential his style and tactics could have on a better team.

The old saying goes “what doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger.” Would Arsène Wenger have enjoyed the same success with Monaco and Arsenal had he not had the chance to hone his skills on a tight budget at a less high profile club?

When Wenger finally moved to England to manage Arsenal the French influence on the side was non-existent. Nicolas Anelka and Rémi Garde came in from Ligue 1 and Patrick Vieira was an unknown quantity when he signed from AC Milan.

Today the French influence is not only visible in the Arsenal squad, seven players were signed from Ligue 1 sides, but in the Premier League you can find thirty five French players plying their trade. Back in 1996 when Wenger first came to Britain’s shores only five players outside Arsenal had come from France. The influence Wenger has said on Arsenal is clear to see for any football fan. What he doesn’t get the credit for is the obvious influence the man has had on everything we find in the English game today.

Andrew writes about football on his own prolific site GibFootballShow, where you can find his most excellent award-winning podcast. You can also read his mind on Twitter.

The great Herbert Chapman. Image courtesy of Adam Bowie under Creative Commons licence.

Not only did Chapman win an FA Cup and two titles for Huddersfield Town, but won Arsenal’s first trophy within five years, the FA Cup in 1930, oddly enough against his previous employers, Huddersfield. Although he suffered a premature death in 1934, Chapman set the side up to continue in winning ways until 1938, after which wartime interruption broke the momentum of the Arsenal.

Only one manager has exceeded Chapman’s reputation at Arsenal, and that is the current incumbent, Arsène Wenger. The first decade of Wenger’s reign was one of success, doubles and Invincibles. Since 2005 however, pundits are quick to remind Arsène that the trophy tally is zero.

In light of this I’ve developed a graphic timeline combining the competitive trophies won by Arsenal since Herbert Chapman joined the club in 1925. The achievements of the first great Arsenal manager are clear, including the first in 1930; Arsenal won five league titles and two FA Cups in eight years.

The graph of Arsenal trophy wins since 1925. Prior to 1930 the club had no recognisable titles. Since election to the First Division in 1919 Arsenal have never been relegated, though there have been barren periods in the club’s history. Arsenal’s 13 league titles is second only to Manchester Utd and Liverpool, joint on 18, whilst the 10 FA Cup wins is second best to United’s 11.

Simple tallies of trophy wins never tell the whole story, and the idea of playing football only to win competitions does not sit well with a wider perspective of the game as an item of cultural significance, and aesthetic pursuits. In the modern game there is always the argument that financial gain without trophies is the epitome of success. Nevertheless, visual stimulation is always appreciated, and the creation of this timeline does put the achievements of the club in the modern era in perspective.

Any Arsenal supporter watching the club in the 1960s as famously catalogued by Nick Hornsby in Fever Pitch will agree that the current Arsenal team play football in a style fantastically inconceivable before 1996. Not only that but over the last few years the club has been through an economic transformation, which should work to Arsenal’s benefit over the coming seasons, certainly the club’s financial state is the most robust in the UK.

Fans baying for the heads of Wenger or Fabregas, or even Andrey Arshavin would do well to remember that between 1953 and 1989 Arsenal won just a sole league title, in the original Double winning season 1970-71. Of course other trophies came in between, but if footballing enjoyment is based purely on silverware then that one league title in forty-six years represents a huge contrast in understanding of the game by fans today.

Of course every supporter and every player wants success, and this season the possibility of a maturing Arsenal side, one built from the ashes of the Invincibles, winning a trophy is higher than of late.

On the back of the 2-1 FA Cup win, no matter how closely Arsenal scraped the margins, the team is challenging on four fronts. In the knock-outs they face Leyton Orient in the last 16 of the FA Cup and Birmingham City in the final of the Carling Cup, only Wenger’s second final in that competition. Meanwhile in the Premier League Arsenal are second only to Manchester United, although their unbeaten run is beginning to look more ominous than previously, in addition Barcelona block the path forward in the Champions League second round this February.

The result remains in the balance, what is agreed, to use a cliché, is that this excellent side under Fabregas needs a trophy to be recognised as a ‘great team’. The consistency of results, given a New Year fixture list which has seen the side play on average every three days, is promising. Wenger has used squad rotation effectively, with players such as Bendtner and Denilson playing their part, and Arshavin too, no matter the current opinion concerning his form.

One stumbling block in seasons past has been a lack of depth within the squad exacerbated by injuries, and a tendency to fade in the final months of the season. The hamstring problems Nasri encountered against Huddersfield have sidelined one of the most crucial players of the season for one of the most crucial games, against Barcelona.

The worrying pattern continues in central defence which, though well-strengthened in the summer, is still missing Thomas Vermaelen, and now Squillaci with suspension from his red against Huddersfield. The fitness of Fabregas, and maturity of squad players are now key, with these secured Arsenal have the chance to make some headway in the quest for a title.

Whatever the case, the historical context is deeper than one diagram, but a picture does say a thousand words. The real question is what would Herbert think?

Read more in Data Analysis or review all the trophies, titles and cups won for Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal, with some in-depth discussion.

However, Alberto has a story of his own to tell. Andrey Arshavin may not know it, but this previous incumbent of the number 23 shirt also went on to become a skillful midfielder. Like Arshavin, this season has been a tumultuous one for the German of Spanish descent.

Alberto’s story is notorious at Arsenal purely for the obscurity of his origins. In 1997 he was a 22 year old business administration student playing in the German fifth tier for SC Feucht. Wenger with his contacts in Alsace and western Germany, watched him play only once against ESC Rangierbahnhof Nurnberg along with 150 other spectators. Wenger must have been impressed with the creative central midfielder, because he immediately looked into making the acquisition.

Méndez himself admitted to playing poorly, to the extent that he was shocked when he got the call from Arsenal the day after the game:

“We’d long been guaranteed promotion, so we hadn’t trained for a month…Instead we had already had plenty of unofficial promotion parties…The next morning our coach rang to say Arsène wanted to sign me and I told him that he too must still be under the influence. When I went to London for talks I told Arsène three times ‘you’ve watched me just the once, I played badly and you still want to sign me. I just don’t understand it’.”

Arsène happened to agree that he was ‘terrible’ in that game but could still see he had potential, stating, “There is something very special about him.”

Twenty-two might seem a little old to make the jump to the pinnacle of football but this bears the hallmarks of Wenger’s personal playing career. A veteran of the depths of the French amateur leagues, he had the potential to attain greater success but late development prevented him. Wenger only made the step up to Ligue 1 RC Strasbourg as a youth coach, and was called to play in the 1978/79 title winning side only because of injury.

Wenger would have empathised with the young German, plying his trade in the depths of Central European football. Age played an additional part in his drive to bring younger talent to the squad in 1997:

“I need to bring in younger players. We have the best players in the country in the 28 to 35 age group, but between 20 and 28 they are all at Manchester United, Newcastle or Liverpool.”

For £250,000 Alberto should be seen as a cheap gamble, arriving as part of a raft of new an exotic European signings including the much loved Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit, Gilles Grimandi, and Luis Boa Morte, now of West Ham.

In comparison Overmars cost £7 million, though bear in mind that in today’s transfer market that equates to something like £23.6 million (Transfer Price Index). Work out the Méndez value and it comes to something like £844,000 in today’s figures, hardly the sort of sum you would expect Man City to be throwing about.

Playing for The Arsenal

Indeed, Alberto made a respectable start, scoring on his debut in a 4-1 triumph against Birmingham City in the League Cup in October 1997, at Highbury as part of a team of young Arsenal players, typical of Wenger’s policy. After going 1-0 down Boa Morte scored two, Platt knocked one in, while Boa Morte set up Méndez for the fourth both sides ending on 10 men after extra time. Interestingly Wenger opted for a slightly modified 3-5-2, with Méndez playing just off the striker, interchanging with Hughes.

Arsenal (3-5-1-1): Manninger; Grimandi, Upson, Marshall; Dixon (Crowe, 91), Platt, Hughes, Vernazza, Boa Morte (Muntasser, 119); Méndez; Wreh

Familiar names such as Grimandi, Platt, Dixon, Vernazza and Manninger played in the Arsenal squad that evening, whilst Steve Bruce was in defence for the Birmingham side. It is fascinating to think about the changes in each one’s career since.

Alberto went on to make a handful of league appearances in midfield during that Double winning season. The experience of playing in that side must have felt like a dream world. Rubbing shoulders with world champions to be, Vieira and Petit, must have been something of a culture shock after the days at SC Feucht.

In 1998, Méndez got his chance on Europe’s greatest stage, in a dead rubber Champions League game against Panathinaikos in December. The final group game was away in Athens, but Arsenal had already been knocked out of the competition, so Wenger fielded a weakened side against the Greeks.

Arsenal: Seaman; Bould, Vivas, Grimandi, Upson, Grondin, Méndez (M Black, 78), Vernazza, Anelka, Wreh, Boa Morte

Méndez opened the scoring with a freekick which took a deflection off the former Derby midfielder, Aljosa Asanovic, ricocheting into the corner of the net. Méndez and Boa Morte combined well, both scoring, as well as a certain Nicolas Anelka, another Wenger bargain, Against the odds they won 3-1, no mean feat considering the team selection.

Wenger said after the game:

“I am very proud of my players…There were some excellent performances, particularly by people like David Grondin and Matthew Upson, as well as the two players up front, where Nicolas Anelka showed his great talent.”

So Alberto’s name goes into the history books as having scored one goal in the 1998/99 Champions League, alongside the likes of Luis Figo and Ronaldo.

Struggles and belief

The Greek capital was a place Méndez came to know well as struggling to get first team football, he was loaned out to AEK Athens in February 1999 and then to SpVgg Unterhaching for their Bundesliga adventure in 1999-2000, but played just 6 games in the German top flight.

Returning from Unterhaching Méndez realised that his time at Arsenal would be the exception in his career, the sparkling facilities and sell out games would not feature so prominently. He played for the reserve team that year, and slowly the dreams faded. When asked “What are you,” he replied, “Student”, no-one would believe the truth he thought.

His final season at Arsenal saw him loaned to Racing Ferrol in the Spanish Segunda División, and in the summer of 2002 he was released, along with a certain Rohan Ricketts, who went to Tottenham. After 11 appearances, only four of which came in the league, and 2 goals it was time to find a new club.

The only offers were from Genk, a Belgian first division club and Ferrol, in the Spanish second. He took the Spanish option. Choosing to fight relegation with the club in 2002-03, he clocked up over 2000 minutes of football, starting 29 games. The benefits were personal, instead of being nobody, he was suddenly enthusiastically heralded as one of the club’s best players, but continued to struggle with injuries.

“I don’t want to play with injuries anymore. Too often I’ve simply participated”

The relegation battle was desperate at times. At the director’s behest the whole side went on pilgrimage to the statue of the Virgin of Chamorro, in the Holy City to ask for help, but to no avail. Ferrol ended the season relegated from the Segunda División. Like a true journeyman Méndez moved on to another Segunda División side, Terrassa, neighbours to giants Barcelona. Sadly they were also relegated at the end of his first season. This was a pattern which would become familiar throughout his career.

German Relegations

All things return from whence they came, and stuck with few options in Spain Alberto continued his footballing odyssey, joining the very club Wenger had watched him play for eight years before; SC Feucht. From here on Méndez became an almost ever-present in the fourth tier of German football, the Regionalliga Süd (third tier prior to 2008).

The instability of clubs at this level saw the now aging playmaker switch teams almost every year. Feucht were relegated to the Oberliga Bayern (fourth tier at that time) at the end of his first season in 2005, and he moved to a newly promoted Regionalliga club SpVgg Bayreuth for 2005-06.

However, Bayreuth were refused a licence for the following season 2006-07, resulting in a second successive relegation to the Oberliga for Méndez. The sorry story continues as Méndez joined Regionalliga side SV Darmstadt 98 for one season, only to find them relegated in 2007.

The change came at SV Sandhausen, joining up with the team for 2007-08 the side Méndez finished 5th in the Regionalliga, allowing the team to enter the newly formed 3. Liga, Germany’s third tier (since 2008), where giants such as FC Heidenheim lurk among other big names.

Scaling these heights was too much for the midfielder, and he only completed two games in the 2008-09 3. Liga before injury overtook him. In the January window 2009 he joined SpVgg Weiden, dropping two divisions, but didn’t play due to his injuries. The team were promoted into the Regionalliga Süd for 2009/2010, and Méndez found himself yet again in the fourth tier of Germany’s pyramid. Last season he played 26 matches and scored 7 goals, a key player for the side, albeit an aging one at 35.

The Blue and Blacks of Weiden out in force. Just another day in the Regionalliga Süd.

The highlight of the season must surely have been a home tie at the Wasserwerk Stadium in the DBF Pokal against Jürgen Klopp’s Dortmund, though the team lost 3-1. Méndez though finally got his name on the scoresheet against a Bundesliga club.

Méndez, one of the most skillful players in the Regionalliga, would have been suspended for the Dortmund game for a red card in an earlier match, but after a successful appeal Weiden managed to get his name on the team sheet.

The mystery deepens as we come to this season though. There are no appearances listed for Méndez whatsoever. In fact there are none listed for any of the Weiden players. After digging through the finest German literature on the amateur game it became apparent that this season Weiden were removed from the division until further notice due to debts of over 1 million Euros.

Here was the explanation for the lack of games, and missing scores. Weiden are in limbo, looking to raise funds for a successor club whilst negotiating some kind of settlement regarding their league status.

But what of Méndez? Surely such a journeyman of the Regionalliga knows these situations well. A journeyman moves on, just as Alberto has done every season since reappearing in the German game in 2004. After six relegations in eight years something was different this time around.

The fact that his face is conspicuously missing from the Weiden team photo this season, brings the faintest scent of change. Little is written about the German fourth divisions, and news is hard to come by for foreigners. Delving into the archives of German newspapers, the truth comes to light. Alberto has already retired, and not through his own volition. In November 2010 the 36 year old suffered a serious injury, and decided to call time on his career, just as his club went out of business. His ‘participation’ was over.

As a Wenger signing he will always have notoriety as a player who failed; listed as a ‘transfer flop’. Behind the gaudy headlines and cheap articles is the story of a real footballer, one who was plucked from obscurity, and lived the dream of every ‘good’ player who was never quite good enough.

Méndez found his level in Germany, and the 113 appearances he went on to make in the Regionalliga Süd belies his value to those teams. A true journeyman midfielder whose story is repeated ad infinitum throughout the football world. How many of Arsène’s current crop will follow a similar path remains to be seen.

Recommended: Kaba Diawara The man that never made it and Analysing Theo Walcott

The image of a frustrated Arsène Wenger on the sidelines echoes through the years, and although the context is different, and football has changed, that bespectacled visage still betrays the passionate and obsessive personality today as was clear 22 years ago. Wenger often cuts a frustrated figure on the sidelines today, water bottle moments included, and the case is no different here. The enigmatic nature of the man is notorious; as Mark Hateley said (in Jasper Rees’ biography) of Wenger “You’ll never figure him out” ; this mysticism still persists.

During the second leg of AS Monaco’s European Cup Quarter-final in 1989 Wenger cuts a frustrated figure on the bench.

Wenger in those days was just as puritanical in his obsessions, according to friend Gerard Houllier he lived in a ‘barely furnished flat at Nancy and Monaco’, with just the ubiquitous video recorder for watching endless hours of football, a habit that continues to this day.

Wenger’s obsessive streak has always been renowned and it is a key attribute in his encyclopaedic knowledge of players, contributing to his amazing success in the transfer market. His knowledge of the French league has powered his ascent at both Monaco and Wenger. This was developed in the face of economic crises, as French football suffered gate receipt reductions of 50%, and is cited as a reason for appointing such an inexperienced manager. In fact the low attendances were sometimes shocking. Some league games in 1988/89 seeing as few as 2000 spectators in the Stade Louis II, and although Monaco never attracted the sell out crowds of some of the larger clubs, they were nevertheless the defending champions, and had acquired an array of talented players under Wenger.

In terms of transfer assets he combined brilliant creators, such as Touré and Ferratge with the attacking menace of Fofana, Hateley and Weah, developing a team collective with players able to take up various roles, rather like his later Arsenal teams, a truly flexible unit.

As we saw in the analysis of the 1989 Galatasaray game Fofana and Weah could both play out wide, or up front, and with a choice of Hoddle or Ferratge behind the striker the side did not lack creativity. Hateley was a manufacturer of goals, scoring 14 in the 1988 Championship winning season. Indeed, the signings of two Englishmen, Hoddle and Hateley were both coups which paid off, a pattern replicated throughout Wenger’s career, and first evidenced in his wranglings at troubled AS Nancy. Relegated or not, he performed minor miracles there on a shoestring budget.

Puel blossomed as Wenger’s midfield enforcer, covering ground left and right in midfield, and was one of the better performers in the 1989 game. Central defenders Vogel and Battiston were two other signings made to shore up the defence, and it is here that his in-depth knowledge acquired from all those hours watching videos comes into play. However, by the end of the 1989 season Sonor was playing in absence of Vogel as the partner for Battiston in central defence. This was the case for our Quarter final, but the partnership was shaky.

Wenger’s understanding of football was clear from his early days at Monaco, and he managed to pioneered a whole set of young players and imports such as Weah, Djourkaeff, Petit, and later a 16 year old Thierry Henry who would become the best player to ever don an Arsenal shirt.

Tactically speaking Arsène was still a proponent of fast and skilful football, playing with fast wingers, and full-backs pushing high up the pitch on the overlap, though generally this would take the form of a 4-4-2. Ajax are a running theme for Wenger, and the Dutch connection extends to the man he replaced at Monaco, Istvan Kovacs. The Galatasaray match highlights his use of their 4-3-3 system.

Galatasaray 1989 – The Return Leg

The second leg of the European Cup Quarter final (highlights) was played in Cologne due to events during the previous round’s tie between Galatasaray and Neuchâtel Xamax. The game was widely attended by local German Turks, and in some way this support helped recreate Turkey in the neutral ground.

Weah scores for Monaco in the second leg, but it is not enough.

Throughout the game Wenger’s side searched for the goal that would put them level with the Turks, but were undone by a magical freekick from specialist Prekazi in the 51^st minute. A George Weah equaliser in the 65^th minute was not enough to take them through, losing 2-1 on aggregate. Prekazi was a Galatasaray legend during the late 1980s and his goal led the Turkish side to triumph through adversity. Over the two legs they produced only four shots on target, compared to Monaco’s 15. Whilst Monaco’s increasing desperation is represented by the 21 shots they had from outside the penalty area.

The season ended with Monaco third placed in the League, five points behind the scourge of Wenger’s Monaco side, Marseilles. The side also reached the French Cup final in June, only to lose to Marseilles at the Parc des Princes.

Glenn Hoddle took 18 league goals from midfield, whilst Weah won the 1989 African Player of the Year award, in a campaign where Monaco had fought valiantly on all fronts, but to no avail.

The Wenger Philosophy through time

Wenger’s philosophy has bloomed into a unique brand of football at Arsenal, and one that is well respected. In the words of Phillipe Auclair,

“He is an inventor. He invented football at Monaco, which had never had a decent team.”

His ideas have been hailed as visionary for their transformative effect on English football since his arrival in 1996, but all these were in place from the early days, from when he famously tried to teach the wives of AS Nancy players how to cook, to his time at Monaco. Glenn Hoddle commented on these aspects at Monaco, “All the thinking was way ahead. At Tottenham, we had never even heard of a warm-down.”

The project Wenger attempted at Monaco was one with a running theme, of stability. The assistant manager Jean Petit later said,

“We had the best players in France. With such a squad, with such players, we wanted to keep the structure in place for years. We didn’t manage to do that.”

Even in 1984, when interviewed about his new role as manager of AS Nancy, Wenger stated that one of his key aims was to build stability:

“What I am expecting as well is a stability in the club, above all on the human side”

The quote reflects Arsène’s desire to build a unit, rather than a collection of players. This ideal has evolved and with development has manifested itself in the current generation of Arsenal players, grown together from a youth team squad into a first team; this is the pinnacle of Wenger’s ideas concerning stability, the fulcrum of his ideology.

A shrew transfer policy lights the ignition, but ultimately a unified squad is the aim. For all Wenger’s troubles at Monaco, he has managed to create the structures and longevity he so desired in France at Arsenal. The experiences of his early career undoubtedly influenced his cultured approach, and the running themes in his style are testament to the underlying purity of his philosophy.

Part of a series – Wenger: The Beginnings

The following European campaign began inauspiciously in Iceland; a 1-0 defeat to giants Valur Reykjavík was attended by only 4,000. However Wenger recovered and led his side, including an in-form Glenn Hoddle and newly signed African starlet, George Weah to a Quarter final against Galatasaray, after destroying Club Brugge 6-1 in the preceding round, with Wenger signing Jose Touré in particularly stunning form.

The Quarter final against Galatasaray was surely one of the biggest games of Arsène’s career. This was in fact only the second taste of European football for Wenger, the first coming whilst playing for RC Strasbourg many years earlier, as reporter Michael Kapfer reminisced:

“The away leg of a UEFA Cup tie in the German town of Duisberg…was the only European tie he ever played. He played as a central defender in the away leg. It was an absolute disaster as Strasbourg lost 4-0.”

An unhappy start, but the second coming of Wenger had been the complete opposite, and by March 1989, Wenger’s side were sure favourites for the Quarter final against the Turkish club. Wenger had even been to Turkey personally to watch Galatasaray lose 1-0 to Konyaspor on New Year’s Eve in Turkey.

Wenger in Turkey in 1988 to watch Galatasaray and Konyaspor.

Talking Tactics

The draw for the 1989 Quarter final pitted Monaco against Turkish Champions Galatasaray, with the first leg at home, in Stade Louis II. The most fascinating aspect of the first leg against Galatasaray is the perspective it provides on Arsène Wenger’s tactical longevity.

During 2010, ahead of the epic 2-2 Champions League semi-final against Barcelona at the Emirates, a journalist insinuated that Arsenal’s 4-3-3 system was simply a copy of Barçelona’s. However, Wenger’s curt response put paid to that theory:

“I played 4-3-3 before Barçelona…I played 4-3-3 at Monaco and I think Barçelona have not created that system. That system is a Dutch system.”

The ‘Dutch system’ of Total football during the 1960s and 70s is one of Wenger’s greatest influences, and at Arsenal guided him in

“Building a team with a style, a know-how, with a culture of play specific to the club and it’s fans and with young people,”

The 4-3-3 system there was a pinnacle of attacking football, and there is little doubt that Wenger, born in 1949 would have been the perfect age to absorb that magical Ajax team of the 1970s, including Haan, Keizer and Cruyff.

At AS Monaco he is known for playing an attacking, and flexible 4-4-2, but not without experimentation. Wenger’s 4-3-3 claim is true. The way the team lined-up for the Quarter-final on the 1^st of March 1989 was indeed akin to the 4-3-3 Wenger referred to twenty-one years later.

Now famous names such as Weah, Hoddle, and Puel graced the side on a night at the Stade Louis II, but one which only holds glorious memories for Galatasaray. The Monaco side lined up with two fast lanky wide men, in the form of Fofana, and Weah on the left and right respectively, whilst Hateley played as the single striker.

Central midfield comprised the more defensive Poullain, with Puel alongside, and Ferratge as the creative impetus. The defence saw two Wenger signings, Sonor partnering Battiston whilst Monaco legend Amoros, a product of the Monaco youth system, and Valery were the respective full-backs.  In goal the experienced Jean Luc Ettori took charge, a player who appeared in for Monaco over 20 years, in three decades. Whilst another Englishman, Hoddle, took the sole substitute slot.

Jean-Luc Ettori, Monaco stalwart and long-time servant.

The Big Match

Arsène’s attacking style was clear, although both legs of the Quarter final were rather scrappy affairs, broken up by a Galatasaray team desperate for success in Europe, high on the adrenaline rush that comes with gracing football’s most famous stage. An homage to the Ajax total football sides of the 1970s this was not, but surely the experience was a formative one in terms of Wenger’s European experiences.

Monaco conceded relatively early on in the first half to Galatasaray striker Çolak. This meant that for much of the game they were desperately pushing up the field for a goal.

The goal when it came was one which the current Arsenal side could easily be envisaged conceding. Monaco lost possession in the opponents half, and Valery, the right back was caught out of position, coming into the centre circle to attempt to win the ball back. Galatasaray kept possession efficiently, moving forward quickly and spread the play into the space on their left.

The ball came in for the cross, and whilst there were six Monaco players in the box, including the out of position right back, the single Galatasaray striker, Çolak got the better of the defender and goalkeeper at the far post to poke the cross home.

Galatasaray’s goal was caused partly by the out of position RB Valery (yellow). The two Galatasaray players are highlighted in pink. Note the five Monaco players in the box.

It was an unexpected goal for the Turkish side, who were playing a rugged and defensive game, looking to hit Monaco on the break, as might be expected for underdogs playing away in Europe. The scrappy nature of the game prevented either side building possession, and it was rare to see more than two passes strung together.

Second Half

Mark Hateley, the lone striker, was injured after a collision with the Galatasaray keeper late in the first half, and after half time, a rather younger looking Glenn Hoddle donned his knee strapping and took to the field, playing in the hole behind George Weah, who moved to the centre from the right. The formation didn’t change for the second half, Ferratge simply moved to the right wing, which allowed Hoddle to take up his preferred role in the hole.

After half time another switch was to Sonor from centre back went out right full back. Whether this was because of his pace or just due to the restriction to one sub is unclear. What is clear is that in the second half Monaco were able to cross the ball much closer to the by-line.

Monaco knocked at the Turkish door again and again, but too often couldn’t build cohesion, and the frustration was telling. The Turkish side sat back in numbers, and tackled hard, looking to break up play and counter-attack.

Ultimately it was a game of few fantastic chances. There are many continuities in Wenger’s style, and his selection habits. The type of footballing philosophy he espoused was not radically different, but most obviously in its early stages, Wenger having relatively little top level management experience up until that point.

One interesting tendency was for the centre backs to come forward and play out of defence, this is an aspect of play emulated by Steve Bould and Tony Adams for the final Arsenal goal in the 4-0 defeat of Everton at Highbury to close the league campaign of the 1997/98 Double win.

The style of football was fast and frenetic, and somewhat different to the modern Wenger sides. The most notable feature of the team that night was the fact that George Weah dropped so deep on the right, in effect he and Fofana were wide players in a 4-3-3 or five man midfield, with star striker Mark Hateley playing in the centre as a lone number 9 for much of the first half. This was effectively the 4-3-3 which Arsène referred to in his 2010 press conference.

An example of the formation in midfield. Weah near field, and Fofana far are highlighted in dark blue. They were the wide players on either side of a trio of central midfielders (light blue). Valery the right back is highlighted yellow.

The main avenue of attack for the Monaco team was lofted balls down the flanks, with interchanges of passing between the wingers Fofana and Weah and the full-backs Amoros and Valery, who pushed on the overlap often, generally crossing the ball into the box from deep.

A key method of attack. Weah (blue line) is deep, playing the ball over the top to Valery just out of frame (yellow arrow marking run. Puel is also in shot showing his central position whilst at top are Ferratge and Fofana.

Fofana and Weah were both pacey players utilised on the flanks to different effect. For most of the game Fofana used his pace to attack the left flank, running hard to the by-line, and putting crosses in. Weah in some respects actually played deeper, often trying to dribble the ball forward, cutting inside from deep or playing the ball over the top to the overlapping Valery. Indeed most of the passing triangles and attacking play centred on the right side of the field, where Weah and Ferratge switched position and played passes with Valery the right back, and Puel playing deeper in central midfield.

The central midfielders Puel, Poullain and Ferratge made for particularly interesting watching. Puel and Ferratge were especially fluid throughout the game, and especially in the first half, when Puel would switch from left to right, tracking back and forward as needed. Certainly Puel, now a title winning manager himself at Lyon, was a real force sweeping across midfield.

His partner in crime Ferratge was the centre of much of the play, running like a hare and getting into dangerous positions regularly. In the second half he played on the right wing in place of Weah, allowing Hoddle to take the role in the hole, but still contributed.

It was fascinating to see a young George Weah playing on the right, and his skills were impressive, but the side did seem to lack cohesion. Even when switched to the centre, he couldn’t fashion enough goalscoring chances. The night may have not showcased the team properly, and Wenger still had not fully built his own squad. The Galatasaray side defended resolutely, and although Monaco desperately pushed high up the pitch, pounding the legendary goalkeeper Simovic, they could not find a way to penetrate that Turkish ‘castle’.

Understanding Themes

For Galatasaray this was one of ‘the’ glorious European nights. The 1988/89 season saw them progress to the semi-finals of the European cup, the furthest they have ever reached in the competition. The fact that it was an away victory is also surprising, as Turkish sides rarely won away against quality opposition.

This result also provides Wenger the ignominious record of allowing Galatasaray their best ever European Cup campaign in 1989, reaching the semi finals, and their first European trophy, losing the 2000 UEFA Cup final to Galatasaray, after a scrappy game in Copenhagen.

Here we’ve seen an antecedent to the 4-3-3 that Wenger plays at Arsenal, and the background of some of the flowing attacking football he favours. Certainly there are similarties to a side containing ultra fast Fofana, and the midfield grit of Puel and Ferratge, with overlapping full-backs. Just look at the speed of Walcott and Nasri today, or the guile of Cesc Fabregas the current centre of the team, whilst full-backs from Lauren to Clichy have always bombed forward under Wenger.

The game is a fascinating not only for tactics, but for the context it is set in. Wenger’s time at Monaco was certainly formative in terms of his footballing philosophy and the methods he used in manipulating the transfer market. The themes continued to develop throughout his time with Monaco, and in some ways the project he built there is a less successful parallel of the project at Arsenal. Youth and stability are ideas which formed much earlier in Wenger’s career than just Arsenal, the groundwork was laid years before, evolving at AS Nancy-Lorraine, and furthermore at Monaco with the likes of Weah, Djourkaeff and Henry as just a few examples.

Arsenal Football Club is now moulded in the form of Wenger, much like Manchester United is a reflection of Alex Ferguson. To understand how the club has come to be formed as such, it is crucial to understand the man behind it, and that only comes from looking at their past. On Thursday the second part of our Wenger series looks at some of the themes of Wenger at Monaco, and concludes the 1988/89 season, as we move deeper into the character of Arsène Wenger.

Team Line-Ups: AS Monaco vs. Galatasaray, European Cup Quarter-Final Leg 1, 1 March 1989, Stade Louis II

Monaco: 1 Ettori, Jean Luc; 2 Amoros, Manuel; 3 Valery, Patrick; 4 Sonor, Luc; 5 Battiston, Patrick; 6 Poullain, Fabrice; 7 Puel, Claude; 8 Ferratge, Jean Marc; 9 Hateley, Mark (Hoddle, Glenn on ’46); 10 Weah, George; 11 Fofana, Youssouf. Manager: Arsène Wenger

Galatasaray: 1 Simovic, Zoran; 2 Demiriz, Ismail (Yıldız, Metin on ‘87); 3 Yuvakuran, Semih; 4 Altıntaş, Yusuf; 5 Tanman, Cüneyt; 6 Korkmaz, Bülent; 7 Prekazi, Xhevat; 8 Altıntaş, Muhammed; 9 Tütüneker, Uğur; 10 Çolak, Tanju (Goalscorer); 11 Önal, Erhan. Manager: Mustafa Denizli

Part of a series on Arsène Wenger’s early career – Nancy, Monaco and more