Arsene Wenger
The Autobiography written by Arsene Wenger
The Wenger Way: Principles of Elite Football Management
If you want to create a truly great team, you must establish a clear identity and playing philosophy.
The core principles that guided Wenger's philosophy:
➱ Results matter, but HOW you achieve them matters more
➱ Create a culture, not just a team
➱ Technical excellence requires psychological strength
➱ Innovation balanced with tradition
➱ Long-term vision over short-term gains
"When setting lofty objectives, it takes time and patience for them to become fixed in people's minds. My aim was to win all the time, to defer defeat and make the fear of losing disappear."
The foundation of success:
Recruit for character first
Create a performance culture
Empower through trust
Balance science with art
Protect core values
"A coach must have his own entourage. A coach lives in a totally unsettled world, where results are precarious and his perceived value fluctuates from one day to the next."
Critical lessons about building elite teams:
Trust your convictions
Give youth a chance
Protect team spirit at all costs
Innovations must serve performance
Money should follow philosophy, not drive it
"For me, football can only call itself a profession if its aim is to make people dream. I understood this as I watched those men coach their teams."
His secret to longevity:
⁌ Be passionate but principled ⁌ Stay curious but consistent
⁌ Lead with class and dignity
Here's what he looked for in players:
Technical brilliance
Mental resilience
Love for competition
Intelligence on/off ball
Capacity for growth
On handling pressure: "It's the manager alone who decides; he takes advice from everyone else but it is his final decision that counts. Before every match, he makes some people unhappy... You turn more to your assistants than friends and loved ones."
His philosophy on developing talent:
☉Focus on strengths over weaknesses
☉ Trust over control
☉ Freedom within structure
☉ Individual care within team framework
☉ Long-term vision over quick fixes
The price of excellence: "For thirty-five years, I lived like a top athlete, obsessed by my passion. I didn't go to the theatre or cinema; I neglected those around me. For thirty-five years, I didn't miss a single match."
Keys to sustainable success:
Clear identity
Constant innovation
Cultural alignment
Financial discipline
Unwavering principles
A leader's ultimate responsibility: "We are often involved in these transformations without really being aware they are happening. But today everything seems clearer: the unjustified attacks, the exaggerations, the loneliness of the manager."
Want to build something extraordinary? Remember:
➠ Vision drives decisions
➠ Values guide behavior
➠ Culture beats strategy
➠ People over systems
➠ Legacy over glory
🚀 Spread the Word
If you've downloaded any of our posters and found them useful, we'd be over the moon if you could:
Share the Sporting Resource website with your coaching network
Tell other coaches about these free resources
Post about your experience on social media (don't forget to tag us!)
Got any questions? We're here to help you score big with your coaching!
At The Sporting Resource, we remain dedicated to empowering the coaching community through our platform of free, shared resources.
Our mission to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing among coaches continues to thrive thanks to the generous support of individuals like you. If you believe in making quality coaching resources accessible to all, you can help sustain this initiative by treating us to a coffee through our donation page.
Your contribution, no matter how small, helps us maintain and expand our library of free resources for coaches worldwide.
