After England’s embarrassing 2-1 defeat to Iceland in the round of sixteen match at the European Championships, Roy Hodgson announced he would resign from his role as head of the England National team, leaving his place up for grabs.
Many names have been thrown around the rumour mill, including Arsene Wenger – Arsenal manager of 22 years and counting. Much has been made, however, of the fact that Wenger’s time at the club could be coming to an end and, therefore, he may be swayed by the prospect of an international role with England.
Wenger has spent over 20 years in England managing Arsenal, winning the Premier League three times and the FA Cup six times. He masterminded the ‘Invincibles’ side of the 2003/04 season, in which they did not lose a single game all campaign. Wenger is the current longest-serving manager in England, so in terms of experience, there is no one better than Wenger.
Arsenal have struggled in the last 10 years to build on what was a very promising start to the Wenger era. Only two FA Cup trophies have been won since they last one the Premier League and it is becoming a trend that Arsenal are regularly the ‘nearly-team’, always at the top, or thereabouts at Christmas, before an annual choke that sees them end up in fourth place.
So would Wenger suit the England job? As already said, his experience would stand him in good stead. He knows a lot about English football and will have come across most of the current England players in his time here, which would mean he would go into the job with solid knowledge of the team.
Wenger’s sides have always played possession based football with an emphasis on patient build-up and waiting for the opportunities to open up. He has always had players in his team who are typical play-makers, which the current England squad have none of, Yet. Wenger would, perhaps, have to re-think the way England currently play football.
Any foreign manager coming into the England job would need to adapt to English football, it is not the same as the game that is played over seas. The FA need to consider managers in England, so Wenger would suit them in that respect.
Does Wenger still have the fight and determination to pull a national side out of the mire? At 66, he is one of the oldest managers tipped for the England job and many believe the next manager should be one with more energy and drive than Hodgson but is Wenger that different in terms of energy on the touchline?
This is an England team full of players with rather large egos that need controlling, and managing in the right way. Wenger has always emphasized consistency in his team selections which is something Roy Hodgson struggled with – never quite knowing who to play. Wenger would need to step in and sort out his ideal team from the outset and go from there.
Wenger has never been afraid to throw youngsters into action on the biggest stage. Age has never been a problem for Arsene and the England team is full of young talent who need to be handled in the right way.
Looking at Wenger as an England manager, it might not be such a bad idea considering all his experience and knowledge of the English game. The fact that he has won the Premier League before also shows he knows how to win games when the pressure is on.
