Why Arsene Wenger is perfect for the job of England Manager

Let me start off by quickly clearing up a couple of things. I don’t actually believe that Arsene Wenger would ever take the England job, or that the FA would ever offer it to him. Nor am I against such potential candidates as Roy Hodgson, Alan Pardew and of course Harry Redknapp. I’m simply illustrating why Arsene Wenger would be perfect for the current crop of England players and for the future of English football as a whole.

The Competition

First there’s the competition. While both Pardew and Hodgson are very good club managers they’ve never found success with the true elite of the footballing world. Pardew, most recently lauded for his ongoing success with Newcastle United, prefers his team to play very rugged, physical football; a style that hasn’t served England well when coming up against the likes of Spain and Germany in recent times. Hodgson’s done remarkably well with smaller clubs like Fulham, but has struggled when in charge of giants such as Liverpool and Inter Milan. Neither, I feel, would be able to deliver the success their nation desires.

Finally there’s Harry Redknapp. Putting aside the off chance he might be unavoidably unavailable to take the job come the end of Capello’s reign, I simply don’t think he is good enough for international management. Whilst an extremely good club manager and someone who has made Spurs a formidable outfit, I still have an underlying feeling, despite his vehement claims to the contrary, that he is someone who pushes teams to punch above their weight, rather than actually achieving success in the form of silverware, seemingly the only form that is acceptable to England fans after their long long wait of 45 years. This is due to the fact that during his time at spurs, while they have come on leaps and bounds in terms of quality and positions in the league , they have failed to win any silverware. He won the Intertoto cup with West Ham back in 2000 and the FA cup in 2008. This domestic success, while creditable, was done against teams such as Barnsley and Cardiff, thus I feel it is difficult to compare it to such pinnacles of footballing achievement as the World cup or the European Finals.

Why Wenger?

And now the case for Arsene. England are in the fortunate position of possessing an incredibly talented batch of young players with potential in abundance. Jack Wilshere, Daniel Sturridge, Joe Hart, Kieran Gibbs, the list is extensive. Wenger is the perfect man to mould and develop these young stars, and with his help they could well become a side that could match the game’s elite, both technically as well as physically, which we as a nation haven’t been able to do for some time now. When it comes to international football, retention of possession and the ability to be comfortable on the ball is key. For teams under Arsene Wenger this comes as second nature.

Another aspect of his that seems well suited to the job is his willingness to get involved in changing and shaking up structures that have stagnated. In his fifteen years at Arsenal he’s transformed the place, not just in their playing style, but also in their stadium, training ground and youth system. He has a great skill for recognising and harnessing potential, as illustrated through success stories such as Robin Van Persie and Thierry Henry. He could go a long way to help to revolutionise the youth system in England from its current state of full size pitches for 8 year olds, all the “kick and chase” tactics they produce and the focus on physical prowess, rather than technical excellence.

Oi! We want an English Manager!

Finally, there is the issue of a foreign manager. I personally have no qualms on this subject when it comes to the Arsenal boss. The hiring of Wenger would be completely different to that of Capello in that he is fluent in English, has been here for fifteen years and is to all intents and purposes a native. However I know it’s inevitable this won’t be good enough for many of England’s supporters, who are understandably keen for an English manager for the England team after the fiasco that has been Fabio.

I feel that Arsene Wenger would be the perfect man for the job, but sadly neither he nor the FA agrees with me. However, I’d at least hope that they would consider the possibility, rather than reject it out of hand.

About the author

Michael K has written 3 articles for Soccer On The Brain

I'm a student who loves playing, watching and writing about football. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/Kinners712

Oli

I think Phil Jones, Ross Barkley, Welbeck and Jack Rodwell are more deserving of a mention that Gibbs and Sturridge. Phil Jones especially. How could you forget him?!

I also disagree about the foreign manager thing. Just because someone can speak English, and has lived in England for years, I argue, doesn’t make them English, nor should it qualify them for a place in the national team. It should be to do with your heritage, as far as I’m concerned.

However, when it comes down to it, I agree with the point in your article. Arsene is a very good manager who always looks to the future, a tactic I really like, and would be almost the opposite of someone like Mourinho, who focuses more on here and now type players.
naru

I don’t see why you forgot to mention andy carroll or jonjo shelvey, two potential stars of the future. Also, i don’t think you should forget the likes of kenny daglish or rafael benitez. YNWA