Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger and Mikel Arteta are two very different managers.
The Frenchman made the Gunners the club they are today. He transformed the side after taking charge in 1996 and turned Arsenal into a global brand.
Wenger spent 22 years at the helm in North London, and throughout his time, he kept one thing the same – the number of people around the squad.
Arteta has been the complete opposite of that at the Emirates.
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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain highlights major difference between Arsene Wenger and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal
Arsene Wenger worked with Mikel Arteta as a player at Arsenal before the Spaniard joined Pep Guardiola as one of his assistants at Manchester City.
It is very clear to see that the current Gunners boss has been inspired by the legendary Frenchman in some ways, but he has taken bits from others like Guardiola and David Moyes as well.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who played under Wenger and also another elite manager in Jurgen Klopp, is back training with the Arsenal U21s, and he has noticed a big change at his old club.
The Englishman revealed that under Arteta, the North Londoners have a much bigger group of support staff, which was never allowed under Wenger, who liked to keep his group significantly smaller.
Oxlade-Chamberlain told The Athletic when asked about the differences he has seen: “Everything has got bigger. Arsene kept his circle quite small and intimate.
“The number of people who worked around the players was small, whereas now the number of staff, the number of players, the way they do the nutrition and everything else, everything is bigger and has gone in that direction of being elite-level.
“It’s different, but straight away I could see everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet – staff and players – and the whole club is moulded in that one direction.”
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Key change is one of the reasons why Arsenal are title contenders again
Wenger’s decision to keep his group small was not wrong at all. That was what had worked for him early on in his career, helped him win numerous trophies and become an Arsenal legend.
As time went on, however, the demands increased, and the small number of people the Frenchman had appointed to take care of the players was not enough.
That may have been one of the reasons why Arsenal fell behind their Premier League rivals in Wenger’s final years at the club, and they did not recover until Arteta took charge.
The Spaniard didn’t have all the resources he needed at the start, but he slowly built his side – on and off the pitch – and has transformed the club now.
That is why the Gunners are contenders to win the big trophies.
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