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Arsenal V Liverpool Special: Despite Their Differences, Rafa Benitez And Arsene Wenger Have Become Kindred Spirits
Reds' boss has plenty in common with Gunners counterpart
10-Feb-2010 3:40:00 PM
By Neil Jones
It is fair to say that Arsene Wenger is not the most popular manager in the Premier League at the moment. With his stinging critique of Aston Villa's "long-ball" game, which drew an abrasive response from Martin O'Neill, and his ongoing war-of-words with Chelsea star Michael Ballack, the Frenchman has created a wave of ill-feeling against himself of late.
Lucky then, that when his Arsenal side face Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, Wenger will know he has the full support of his opposite number.
Rafael Benitez was given ample opportunity to stick the boot into the under-fire Frenchman during his pre-match press conference at Melwood yesterday. He was asked whether he agreed with Ballack's statement that Arsenal are a "predictable" side to play against, and whether he agreed that Wenger "makes too many excuses". On both counts, he refused to twist the knife.
"He [Wenger] is a fantastic manager doing a very good job for 15 years in a foreign country," said Benitez, "Hopefully in 15 years I'll be here!"
It is no surprise to witness the burgeoning respect between the two managers. Benitez is no stranger to broadsides from fellow managers - Sam Allardyce and Steve Bruce are just two to have thrown verbal rocks in the past - but Wenger was quick to leap to the defence of Benitez when most were calling for his removal from Liverpool, and whilst the Frenchman has locked horns with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Mark Hughes down the years, with Benitez his attitude is far more hospitable.
Football purists may point out that, tactically at least, they appear to be at different ends of the spectrum, but the two men have plenty in common.
Both have an almost manic passion for the game - players at both clubs know the only chance of an in-depth conversation with either manager is a football-themed one - and both are as methodical as is humanly possible in their approach.
Both retain immense support from their clubs' fans, though equally both have found their methods questioned increasingly over the past year or so. Even if their respective methods are very different.
Wenger is viewed by most as an idealist, a football romantic devoted to the notion of playing beautiful football with beautiful footballers. Benitez, on the contrary, is portrayed as a ruthless pragmatist, someone whose only satisfaction in the game comes from three points; a man who preaches solidity over self-expression, .
Such pigeon-holing is at odds with the traditions of both clubs. Liverpool under Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley were famed for their simple yet effective 'pass and move' mantra - though neither Shankly nor Paisley were averse to grinding out the occasional victory. Arsenal, meanwhile, earned notoriety under George Graham in the late 1980s and early '90s for their mean defensive record, and penchant for single-goal victories, "1-0 to the Arsenal" is as popular at the Emirates as it was at Highbury.
Yet both are simplistic, and therefore flawed, stereotypes. Wenger has, rightly, earned a reputation as a manager who trusts young players. Yet the average age of sides fielded by Benitez this season is devilishly close to Arsenal's. Few offer praise of Benitez's faith in youth, preferring instead to criticise his selection of Lucas Leiva, Emiliano Insua or David Ngog.
Furthermore, a quick glance at the Premier League table last season shows that Liverpool, not Arsenal, were the division's top goalscorers - just as Graham's 'dour' Arsenal side were in 1989, 1991 and 1992 - whilst the Gunners' disciplinary record under Wenger is anything but beautiful - even if it has mellowed somewhat in recent seasons.
But since moving to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, the onus has increasingly shifted away from performances and towards results. Arsenal's last trophy came just days before Benitez delivered Liverpool's fifth European Cup, in 2005. And with recent results seemingly limiting the Gunners' ambitions to the Champions League this season, it could well be five straight years without silverware at Ashburton Grove.
Benitez too, has his problems in this respect. He did at least manage to deliver the FA Cup in 2006 (Arsenal lost to Barcelona in the Champions League final the following week), but pressure has intensified upon the Spaniard to end the Reds' 20-year wait for a League title. Last season's second-place finish promised plenty, but a dreadful start to the current campaign has left Benitez under perhaps the most fierce scrutiny of his six-year tenure at Anfield. It is little wonder that each has found time to sympathise with his opposite number.
How ironic then, a little more than a month after the career-obituaries were being written for Benitez, following Liverpool's shock FA Cup collapse at home to Reading, that the Spaniard will take his team to North London on Wednesday looking to strike a critical blow in the battle not for fourth, but for third place.
For Wenger, a win is not only vital in terms of the league table - with Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa lurking ominously in the shadows - but also to ensure the maelstrom of negativity, which is threatening to engulf Arsenal, subsides.
Yet if the Frenchman needs any advice on how to ride out a managerial storm, he need look no further than the away dugout on Wednesday night.
Lucky then, that when his Arsenal side face Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, Wenger will know he has the full support of his opposite number.
Rafael Benitez was given ample opportunity to stick the boot into the under-fire Frenchman during his pre-match press conference at Melwood yesterday. He was asked whether he agreed with Ballack's statement that Arsenal are a "predictable" side to play against, and whether he agreed that Wenger "makes too many excuses". On both counts, he refused to twist the knife.
"He [Wenger] is a fantastic manager doing a very good job for 15 years in a foreign country," said Benitez, "Hopefully in 15 years I'll be here!"
It is no surprise to witness the burgeoning respect between the two managers. Benitez is no stranger to broadsides from fellow managers - Sam Allardyce and Steve Bruce are just two to have thrown verbal rocks in the past - but Wenger was quick to leap to the defence of Benitez when most were calling for his removal from Liverpool, and whilst the Frenchman has locked horns with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Mark Hughes down the years, with Benitez his attitude is far more hospitable.
Football purists may point out that, tactically at least, they appear to be at different ends of the spectrum, but the two men have plenty in common.
Both have an almost manic passion for the game - players at both clubs know the only chance of an in-depth conversation with either manager is a football-themed one - and both are as methodical as is humanly possible in their approach.
Both retain immense support from their clubs' fans, though equally both have found their methods questioned increasingly over the past year or so. Even if their respective methods are very different.
Wenger is viewed by most as an idealist, a football romantic devoted to the notion of playing beautiful football with beautiful footballers. Benitez, on the contrary, is portrayed as a ruthless pragmatist, someone whose only satisfaction in the game comes from three points; a man who preaches solidity over self-expression, .
Such pigeon-holing is at odds with the traditions of both clubs. Liverpool under Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley were famed for their simple yet effective 'pass and move' mantra - though neither Shankly nor Paisley were averse to grinding out the occasional victory. Arsenal, meanwhile, earned notoriety under George Graham in the late 1980s and early '90s for their mean defensive record, and penchant for single-goal victories, "1-0 to the Arsenal" is as popular at the Emirates as it was at Highbury.
Yet both are simplistic, and therefore flawed, stereotypes. Wenger has, rightly, earned a reputation as a manager who trusts young players. Yet the average age of sides fielded by Benitez this season is devilishly close to Arsenal's. Few offer praise of Benitez's faith in youth, preferring instead to criticise his selection of Lucas Leiva, Emiliano Insua or David Ngog.
Furthermore, a quick glance at the Premier League table last season shows that Liverpool, not Arsenal, were the division's top goalscorers - just as Graham's 'dour' Arsenal side were in 1989, 1991 and 1992 - whilst the Gunners' disciplinary record under Wenger is anything but beautiful - even if it has mellowed somewhat in recent seasons.
Pressure Cooker | Rafa and Wenger share plenty
But since moving to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, the onus has increasingly shifted away from performances and towards results. Arsenal's last trophy came just days before Benitez delivered Liverpool's fifth European Cup, in 2005. And with recent results seemingly limiting the Gunners' ambitions to the Champions League this season, it could well be five straight years without silverware at Ashburton Grove.
Benitez too, has his problems in this respect. He did at least manage to deliver the FA Cup in 2006 (Arsenal lost to Barcelona in the Champions League final the following week), but pressure has intensified upon the Spaniard to end the Reds' 20-year wait for a League title. Last season's second-place finish promised plenty, but a dreadful start to the current campaign has left Benitez under perhaps the most fierce scrutiny of his six-year tenure at Anfield. It is little wonder that each has found time to sympathise with his opposite number.
How ironic then, a little more than a month after the career-obituaries were being written for Benitez, following Liverpool's shock FA Cup collapse at home to Reading, that the Spaniard will take his team to North London on Wednesday looking to strike a critical blow in the battle not for fourth, but for third place.
For Wenger, a win is not only vital in terms of the league table - with Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa lurking ominously in the shadows - but also to ensure the maelstrom of negativity, which is threatening to engulf Arsenal, subsides.
Yet if the Frenchman needs any advice on how to ride out a managerial storm, he need look no further than the away dugout on Wednesday night.
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