The Manager: Inside the Minds of Football's Leaders

The Manager: Inside the Minds of Football's Leaders by Mike Carson Page B

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Authors: Mike Carson
parents owned a spare-parts business for cars and a bistro. The region was still
emerging from the pain of the war, and Wenger grew up amidst distrust for internationalism, Europe and Germany in particular. However, the young man had a mind of his own, and an accepting spirit.
‘I was always very curious and when I crossed the border [into Germany] I realised they had the same problems as we did. They wanted to enjoy life, they wanted to be happy; they go to work,
they go home, they enjoy life like we do. In this way I got an interest and tried to discover more. I realised no one is completely good or completely bad and everybody wants to be happy in
life.’ It would not be until 1994, at the age of 45, that Wenger’s work would take him out of his native France, but he soon showed the greatness of mind and breadth of worldview that
would define his Premier League years.
    The Challenge: Individual Behaviours
    In Euro 2012, two sides are believed to have been undone by behaviours. Both were powerful, skilful sides packed with top players. Both were regarded as having a good chance of
success at the tournament held in Poland and the Ukraine.
    The power and the danger
    The Dutch national side arrived at the tournament with very reasonable expectations – they had won nine out of ten of their Euro qualifying matches, and had been
runners-up in the World Cup of 2010. But they fell at the first hurdle, losing all three of their group games and finishing bottom of their group. Winger Arjen Robben subsequently suggested there
had been ‘issues’ in the squad – and that he was not surprised: ‘Of course, there were some internal issues – but we will keep them indoors. We must all look in the
mirror.’ From outside the camp, Ronald de Boer, winner of 67 international caps for Holland, was clear on what he believed the ‘issues’ were. He told the BBC website: ‘There
were too many egos on the pitch, players who had great seasons, van Persie, Huntelaar and Robben, and overall too many who wanted to be the star of this tournament. Huntelaar and van Persie are not
only the top-scorers at their clubs, they are both top-scorers in the Premier League and the Bundesliga, but they’re not playing well [for the Netherlands]. Football is still a team sport.
You have to do it together and we didn’t see unity at this tournament.’
    In that same tournament, France reached the quarter-finals – but also appear to have been undone by disunity. Like the Dutch, they arrived in Eastern Europe for the finals on a wave of
optimism founded on a 20-match unbeaten run, but something went wrong in the pressure environment of the tournament. Speaking in a French newspaper, and reported by the BBC, then national coach
Raymond Domenech (himself no stranger to team disruption) commented to the BBC: ‘A major tournament reveals the strength of a group, a generation. The most glaring [weakness is] their
inability to see anything other than their navels.’ Two years previously in South Africa, striker Nicolas Anelka was banned from the camp for insulting Domenech, the players revolted and
refused to train, and France finished bottom of their group.
    Managers ask their players to perform on the world stage, and self-belief is a prerequisite for success. But managing the behaviour of a squad of players who believe that they have what it takes
is no simple task.
    Howard Wilkinson argues that talented players now stand in more danger from themselves than at any other time: ‘It has become more difficult as the rewards have got greater. The genius now
has more opportunities to abuse himself than ever. There’s just no limit. If I’ve got two bob in my pocket and I’ve got ego what am I going to do? What am I going to say? How many
people is it going to affect? Who’s going to notice? Nowadays I can finish a game, get on an aeroplane and fly to New York, act stupidly in a nightclub there, get on another plane, fly back
and

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