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發表於 2011-8-28 03:54:40
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In Manchester: "Wenger talks about youth. Fergie just goes and does it."
In London: "We don't need a change in manager, we just need the manager to change."
Either way, both men have always seen investment in youth as their defining managerial traits. And, given that the issue fundamentally boils down to numbers, it's interesting to directly compare their records.
In 25 years at Old Trafford, Ferguson has given 103 young players their debut (for the purposes of clarity, we've included both academy graduates and those signed before the age of 20): that's 4.1 a season. In 15 years at the Emirates, meanwhile, Wenger has blooded 84: that's 5.6 a season.
From those numbers:
• 23% of Ferguson's graduates have played over 30 games for his club; 31% of Wenger's have
• 12% of Ferguson's graduates have played over 100 games for his club; 15% of Wenger's have
• 10% of Ferguson's graduates have played over 200 games for his club; 5% of Wenger's have
• 23% of Ferguson's graduates have succeeded elsewhere in the Premier League or another elite European top flight; 26% of Wenger's have
• 1% of Ferguson's graduates have been sold to a club at Manchester United's level; 7% of Arsenal's have been sold to a club at Arsenal's level
And, perhaps most tellingly:
• 23% of Ferguson's graduates have won medals with his club; 13% of Wenger's have
To a degree, the numbers prove what we already know: Wenger is more likely to initially flood young players into his squad, Ferguson is better at finishing the job - in a few senses. But that also perhaps raises issues about both men's clubs as actual breeding grounds beyond the academies.
When Wenger first arrived at Arsenal, for example, he could neither introduce a nucleus of readymade graduates nor immediately enforce his ideals. Rather, he had to adapt around the existing qualities of that old Highbury core. In the process, though, they all became better players.
The success that mix brought entrusted Wenger with almost total control of the club's playing structure. But it has also meant that, since then, he has altered it so his youth system only produces particular types of players. Famously, Wenger has physical and technical ideals for every position. And the result, effectively, is that Arsenal release a stream of similar prototypes.
Contrast that with Manchester United, where there has always been a huge variety of player styles produced - most notably in this crop. But Ferguson also tends to get the timing of their introduction right. Unlike Arsenal, there's always been a blend of proven winners and potential brilliance - right back to the Double-winning 1995-96 team. Wenger began to forego that complementary mix in 2004. Admittedly, as we've seen with Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas, not always by choice.
But then that also raises questions over whether Wenger has created a damaging cycle for himself. Indeed, one of those proven winners - Tony Adams - relays an enlightening story about Wenger's treatment of Lilian Thuram at Monaco. Despite the reputation the defender eventually forged, at first he offered up regular errors.
"It cost them game after game. But he kept him on... and encouraged him and encouraged him. Great for the player. No good for [Wenger] and the team."
History has clearly repeated itself.
But not in every sense. Sunday's match at Old Trafford is likely to be a far cry from the testosterone-fuelled face-offs between men like Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane. Another difference, however, is that - on the evidence of the past seven years, let alone the last 10 months - only one of the teams is likely to reach the kind of level those forerunners once did. |
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發表於 2011-8-28 02:07:29
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發表於 2011-8-28 02:29:23
