It was not easy being van-Guard
ARSENE WENGER reckons he blazed a trail for Pep Guardiola and the rest of the Premier League’s foreign bosses. And the Arsenal manager believes the Spaniard has had it easy when compared to his baptism in English football 20 years ago. Wenger’s appointment as Gunners boss in 1996 provoked the response, ‘Arsene, who?’. But within two seasons, the Frenchman had delivered the double to the London club and introduced an approach to tactics and fitness that helped transform English football. Wenger believes he was forced to roll with the punches as a pioneering foreign boss – especially as one with fresh ideas that went against the grain. By contrast, Guardiola arrived at Manchester City last summer with a sky-high reputation after demonstrating his Midas touch at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. But that hasn’t protected the City supremo from stinging criticism, particularly after he declared he was “not a coach for the tackles” after City’s humiliation at Leicester last weekend. Wenger and Guardiola will confront each other for the first time in England tomorrow when Arsenal head to the Etihad Stadium. And Wenger reckons he could tell Guardiola a thing or two about what it really feels like to be under the cosh.
Difficult
Asked if he had made things easier for the foreign coaches who now dominate the Premier League, Wenger said: “Of course. “I should get some newspapers when I arrived here and you will see that it’s much easier today for the foreign managers. “When I arrived here, it was difficult for the foreign managers. Today, it is difficult for the English managers. That’s what has changed.” Wenger always knew Guardiola would stick to his beliefs at City and refuse to change his style – but knows from personal experience a manager must be patient when he applies his plans. Wenger said: “I knew that he would bring his philosophy through and you have to accept that he tries to do that. “I respect the fact that he has the philosophy and wants to play football. You expect him to put that print into his team. “Every manager has a personality and can only act with his own personality. You cannot copy a manager, you can only be who you are, and he has been influenced at Barcelona by the Cruyff period when he was a player.”