The technician realized that his cycle in the team had already ended some time ago

Arsène is the Arsenal

After 22 years of commanding the North London team, French coach Arsène Wenger has announced that he will complete his management at the end of this season of the English league.

Leer en español: Fútbol: Arsène Wenger y el fin de dos décadas de historia

Through a statement, the French strategist announced the end of a marriage of two decades, with its ups and downs, expressing that it was time to step aside and that the Board of the team choose the technical body it deems appropriate. Grateful to the board, the staff of the club and all the fans, he asks that they continue to support the team, keeping the values, ​​and spirit of Arsenal always high.

Wenger, beyond being the Technical Director of Arsenal, could be considered a bulwark in the history of the team, which under his tutelage brought joys to London fans since 1996. Among his record of achievements in England can be mentioned: 3 Premier League, 7 FA Cup, 7 Community Shield, including an undefeated season, and 20 consecutive years in the Champions League.

The arrival of the Gaul to London

In 1996, the Arsenal Board made a rather risky move when hiring a stranger: Arsène Wenger. The coach came from an insipid and ephemeral Japanese league. Everyone asked who that character was and why such a risky bet by the "gunner" directive.

However, it did not take long to make clear that he was the right choice, since his first year debuted with a third place for Arsenal in the Premier League. In 1997, Wenger managed to obtain the title of the championship, in addition to the FA Cup. His staff of players included personalities such as Thierry Henry, Cesc Fàbregas, Patrick Vieira, Van Persie, and the Dutch star Dennis Bergkamp. This last player was used by Wenger as one of the supporters in the attack of the team in the 90s.

One of the characteristics of the leadership of the French was the ups and downs in the performance of the team and his objectives in achieving national and European trophies. In the 2003-2004 season, he achieved the feat, not only to be crowned champion of the Premier, but also the team remain undefeated without losing a single match in the tournament. In the final of the 2006 Champions League, held in the city of Paris, the team and the coach touched the sky without taking the "orejona", when losing against an inspired FC Barcelona.

After this, the team went through nine years of absolute drought, which brought criticism from the fans and the local and international media, who asked for renewal to bring glory to the London team again. In 2017, the board again trusted the strategist, renewing his contract, which sparked criticism again, including within the "Wengeristas", who also assured that the technician had to perform an internal analysis and consider taking a step aside for another strategist chosen by the directive, but this did not happen.

The recent season has been marked again of ups and downs, losing even valuable players like the same Alexis Sanchez, recently signed by Manchester United.

Wenger realized that his cycle in the team had already ended some time ago and what he did was to lengthen a death, dragging the team to the already known results.

Who will replace Wenger?

Rumors come and go, although they have not yet determined who will replace the French coach. More than six candidates are possible replacements, but there is no a concrete decision. Among the candidates, we can highlight:

• Luis Enrique, for his performance as a former FC Barcelona coach, as well as his closeness to the club's Sports Director, Raúl Sanllehí.
• Patrick Vieira, former midfielder of the "Gunners" and current technical director of the New York City team, knows the scheme of the English and the Premier League.
• Thierry Henry, has the blessing of the board, but has recently stated that he does not feel ready yet for this step. He is currently helping the Belgian national team.

Latin American Post | Gabriel Moros
Translated from “ Fútbol: Arsène Wenger y el fin de dos décadas de historia ”