Thierry Henry reveals the managerial tips he got from Arsene Wenger

Thierry Henry opens up on what he picked up from his time under Arsene Wenger

Thierry Henry remains one of the best players to ever play for Arsenal and arguably their best player in the Premier League era.

He starred for the Gunners from 1999 to 2007 before joining Barcelona. He has now gone into management.

His first stint as a manager with AS Monaco ended disastrously as he was fired three months into the job.

He has now been offered the chance to make a name for himself as a manager with Canadian side Montreal Impact.

He has been preparing for the new MLS season that starts in February, but he took some time out to talk about the lessons he learnt from Arsene Wenger that he hopes to take into management.

According to Henry, Arsene Wenger brought to his attention the importance of getting to know your teammates.

“He made me realise, ‘Stop asking yourself the wrong question and ask yourself the right question.'” Henry said per the mirror.

“You need to analyse who you are playing with. Can Dennis Bergkamp play you the ball? Can Freddie Ljungberg? Dennis could, he could find me anywhere, Freddie couldn’t, he was a different type of player.

“I started to think of the game backwards. I realised, ‘Oh, hold on, it is my fault, it is my responsibility, don’t make the same run if Freddie has the ball.’

“I need to make my players realise the same, make them think differently and take responsibility. You’d be amazed how many players don’t actually talk before they go on the field. You need to know each other- talk!”

Wenger may have not evolved at the end of his Arsenal tenure but his knowledge of the game is second to none and it is the little stuff that is invaluable and Henry knows that.

Hopefully, Thierry will end up being as good a manager as he was a player.

18 Comments

  1. I hope he remembers his traning under Guardiola’s guidance at Barcelona

    Unfortunately he played as a forward, otherwise he could have learned more about tactics in the back

    1. @gotanidea
      Cruyff had set up Barcelona where just about anyone could have managed them and excelled. Pep didn’t have anything to do with it. He was merely following the “total football” blueprint handed down to him… IJS

      1. Vicente del Bosque’s Real Madrid dominated La Liga until Frank Rijkaard came. I think he was the one who fixed the mess left by Louis Van Gaal at that time

        Guardiola learned a lot at Barcelona, but he also got his experience from his playing days in Lega Calcio

      2. So true, it was all done by Cruyff using the same blue print he implemented in Dutch national team and Ajiax. I think Frank rijkaard was the first manager who reignited that fire n started dominating football stage when he managed Barcelona. When he signed Barca were really struggling and in sh*t hole. Pep is no doubt one of the best but I think ppl give him far more credit. He inherited an amazing team from rijkaard with messi breaking through. Even when he went to Munich he again inherited an excellent squad, a treble winning team then finally to city where he has been given bucket full of money to go and build his team. For me his failure not to win champions League with Bayern and City is a big question mark over him. I rate Klopp more then him. Pep needs to maybe manage a team with not an incredible team already or either one which does not have unlimited resources then if he wins then he deserves all the praise ppl shower on him.

        1. wasn’t he klop that spent 80m on one player? wasn’t he the one who spent a lot of money on new players?

  2. Playing together a lot brings understanding
    That is the secret behind average squads like Sheffield U Wolves+ Leicester.
    Having no European football is real bonus for SH U and Leicester.
    Unless you win the EL it is a pointless drain on your League season.
    The money in the EL is pitiful.
    7th would be a nightmare as you have to play 6 pre qualifying games.
    Having a European free season would do wonders for this club.

    1. Agree stevo, either we qualify for champions League which I think is more likely via UEFA cup at the moment then league or we just don’t get into Europe at all and concentrate to league alone. A strong league run will give us good confidence n better chances of champions League next year.

  3. OHH ! I Just Came Here To Say Something In Relation To This :

    “WE WILL BE IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NEXT SEASON
    I DON’T SEE THE TEAM THAT WILL STOP ARTETA’S ARSENAL FROM WINNING THE EURO CUP
    NOT EVEN IF WE MEET CHELSEA IN THE FINAL”

    1. Chelsea is in the CL mate. Playing the team we usually hammer..Bayern M 🙂
      May be you mean if we meet any of these teams we will win
      Inter Wolves Man U Red Bull Seville Benfica Eintracht Basel Getafe Benfica
      Celtic Sporting Ajax Leverkusen Porto Wolfsburg Roma Rangers Shakhtar.
      Not so sure it’s in the bag yet 🙂
      PS. Your keyboard is stuck on capitals 🙂

  4. Henri was a great footballer and he talks a great game.
    But so far has not been able to walk the talk as far as coaching is concerned.
    He seems to like the show biz side too much.
    Criticized Wenger while helping out the Arsenal academy.
    Could not focus in Glitzy Monaco
    Henri is ideal for the talk show star obsessed north American Market
    Now hired to manage in bilingual Montreal he can continue to appear on TV shows 🙂
    With no relegation results don’t matter so much.
    Entertainment is the key
    Thierry gonna be a star 🙂

  5. I love Henry to bits but do not think he will ever make a top manager. He is too chippy and has not the overall man management skill and vision nor deep understanding of how footballers work and think that Wenger had in spades. Simply put I think he is a deal less empathetic than WeNGER , BUT SO ARE MOST MANAGERS. Wenger had great personal gifts and worldly wisdom and was a great manager for half his time here. Wenger also has a great personal charisma, even an aura, as folk just sensed that he was a great and wise person.

    Circumstances changed utterly once Dein was ousted in a calamitous club mistake and other malign factors, KROENKLE and GAZIDIS, plus Wenger becoming too comfy in his role, meant that his special talent became steadily less effective, and sadly ended as we all know it did.

    1. Did I just read a wenger compliment from Jon Fox?
      It seems Ken 1945 finally got through to you.
      Could it be because we’re now on our 3rd manager in two seasons since Wenger left? The very same Wenger, you vilified as the cause of all our on field problems.
      I distinctively remember you stating “anyone but wenger”.
      Well, we weren’t careful what we wished for and the club brought in their version of “anyone” who turned out to be a colossal failure and fraud. We are so deep in the pit he dug, we can’t even contemplate achieving Wenger’lowest league position this season.
      Bravo Jon.

      1. Wenger was Arsenal’s ship Captain, not just a coach, that why we sink!

        Looks terrible when see Sir Alex at Oltraford and travelling with his team, how he is treated, values that make a big club, Man U struggles but not falling appart for that.

        Losing Wenger that way without make him part of the transition from him to next one, will make it very hard, we have lost all our identity. Wenger and Sir Alex are very unique, staying 20years obliges a transition including them.

        Man U changes manager but Sir Alex is there, supporting, advising on transfers, his like the Soul of Man U as Wenger Arsenal even more so! Man U was already a big club with trophies, Wenger made Arsenal bigger than life; as the Emirates he bought us!

  6. To criticise and diss Wenger is to spit on the food you gonna eat! It is no more values in the club! Fans gone nuts because got spoiled by Wenger, fighting and securing CL with a bunch of kids for 10 years, we got used to it, when he failed, dared to finish 5 or 6, we all forgot 20 years keeping us on Top! Kroenke suqeezed every penny he could and still does, obliging Artrta to work with peanuts. Again, enough with Pepe, it is a payement plan, just as Tierny and Saliba, we did not spend over 50M summer window! Kroenke found a last minute trick as he saw fans threatening. As Wenger had asked and got okay from Suarez and Kante which would have us Champions til the day; Emery asked for Maguire, Partey and Zaha! Got Ceballos, Luiz for Kos, Pepe in credit. Because teams want full payement, they need to buy as well when sell! Common sense!

    That’s what makes Arsenal job the tuffest one, first to come after Wenger, no money and spoiled fans expectations, no way to compete in transfer windows!

    1. You are absolutely correct! Wenger should only stay 10 years in Arsenal and join other big clubs whose owners love their clubs and willing to spend money to win honours. He will win more titles with them.
      In fact, Wenger is shielding Kroenke; hiding the problem of Kroenke not spending enough money.
      Just Google, those Arsenal players except a few under Wenger do not fair better after they left Arsenal. You can see the magic touch and skills of Wenger. However, he lost his touch lately and should not touch manager post anymore.
      If Alex Ferguson respects Wenger so much and gave him a farewell at Old Trafford with Jose Mourinho around; who cares about the comments of those unappreciative “fans”. They are illusioned and confused.

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