Arsenal have planned a tribute to Arsene Wenger for their pre-season friendly against AS Monaco on Wednesday night amid a rule change for the Emirates Cup during 2023.
That is according to football.london, which notes that Wenger will be present when Arsenal host Monaco at Emirates Stadium. The Gunners have invited the Ligue 1 team over to north London this summer to contest their annual tournament that Wenger helped berth in 2007.
Wenger accepted Arsenal’s invite to be the club’s guest of honour at the Emirates Cup when Monaco visit. He managed both over an illustrious career, interrupted by his stint at Nagoya Grampus. Wenger coached Monaco from 1987 to 1994 and then Arsenal from 1996 to 2018.
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Arsenal plan a tribute to Arsene Wenger against AS Monaco
Arsenal have now recognised Wenger’s legend at the club after unveiling a statue of the 73-year-old outside Emirates Stadium. The Gunners revealed the 3.5m-tall bronze sculpture by the award-winning Jim Guy on July 28 to celebrate his magnificent tenure in north London.
Guy spent nearly a year creating the statue, located opposite the museum by turnstile D of the North Bank at Emirates Stadium. It denotes Wenger lifting the Premier League trophy, having won three titles whilst with Arsenal. He also won the FA Cup a record seven times.
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No manager has ever won the FA Cup more often than Wenger achieved with Arsenal. The Frenchman also brought success to Monaco after taking the Principality side to the Ligue 1 title in 1987/88. He later led Les Monegasques to the Coupe de France, as well, in 1990/91.
Now, Arsenal have planned a further tribute to Wenger for Monaco’s visit for the Emirates Cup on Wednesday. The Gunners will encourage all fans in attendance to pay tribute to the iconic tactician during the friendly. It is a rare sight for Wenger to attend Emirates Stadium.
Wenger made his long-awaited return to the stadium he built on Boxing Day last year to see Arsenal beat West Ham United 3-1. He had not attended a fixture at Emirates Stadium since his final home match in charge in May 2018. The Gunners beat Burnley 5-0 to say farewell.
Arsenal make a rule change for the 2023 Emirates Cup
As well as honouring Wenger at home to Monaco, Arsenal have made a rule change for the 2023 Emirates Cup. The Gunners made the annual pre-season tournament to hold a mini-tournament on home soil upon moving into Emirates Stadium. They first held it in July 2007.
The Emirates Cup traditionally saw four teams compete across two consecutive days to lift a trophy. Each team would play one fixture on both days of the tournament. But only Arsenal and Monaco will feature in the 2023 edition as the Emirates Cup is now just a one-day event.
With the move to a one-off game for 2023, Arsenal have changed the rules for the Emirates Cup. Previously, the tournament awarded one bonus point for each goal scored along with three for a win and one for a draw. But the rule is not needed in 2023 given it is one match.