There is no question that Arsène Wenger is a world-class football manager. He has gotten the job done time and time again at the highest level of the global game. The only question that beckons is which games were actually Wenger’s best.
Lifelong Arsenal fan Layth Yousif tackles this difficult assignment in Arsène Wenger: Fifty Defining Fixtures from Amberley Publishing. He gets a bit of help from Tottenham and Arsenal legend Sol Campbell, a player with over 500 professional appearances. Campbell adds a short foreword, which gives this title instant credibility.
Yousif covers a lot of ground with the book, considering he begins in 1996 and finishes in 2014. There were a lot of memorable matches to choose from, thanks to Wenger’s 1,000+ games with the Gunners. We felt that the author did a tremendous job in sorting this out and bringing the readers an incredible recap of the Frenchman’s celebrated career.
Wenger has done it all, winning hardware in the Premiership and the FA Cup and making his mark in the UEFA Champions League. The way that he has done it is unmatched by anyone in footballing history. Keep in mind that this is the manager that ran the table in the EPL in 2003-04, finishing league play undefeated. This was something that hadn’t been done in over 100 years. Simply put, Wenger and Arsenal were perfect for a season.
One thing that has always impressed us about Wenger is the fact that he changes with the times. His methods and philosophy today are the trademark of the modern football manger. Yousif made sure that this evolution as a manager came through loud and clear, making the book much more than just 50 recaps.
This book is simply about sustaining brilliance through an entire career, something that not many people can claim. This is yet another great football title from the staff at Amberley.
