KLOPP HAS MADE ME APPRECIATE WENGER EVEN MORE by Uche
So the bombshell has dropped that Jurgen Klopp, the much beloved and innovative Manager of Borussia Dortmund, is leaving at the end of the season. No he did not get fired. According to him, the time has come for the club to try someone different. So why am I writing about another club’s manager?
Actually this brief piece here is about Arsene Wenger. Gunners in general all love Jurgen Klopp because we have daydreamed about him managing Arsenal, and having us play the kind of blistering and fast paced attacking football that he has come to personify at Dortmund. There is just one problem though. Klopp’s inability to go the distance has only highlighted the genius of Wenger’s achievement for almost two decades. We are really spoilt at Arsenal – to the point that we no longer realise how difficult it is to keep Arsenal at this Top Four level that most of us sneer at. Other teams have blown a hundred million pounds with nothing to show for it.
Liverpool is playing some incredible football and yet they may not even qualify for Champions league. Manchester City won the league last season and recently blew 25 million pounds on a reserve striker. Yet, they may not even qualify for Champions League. Wenger has qualified for the Champions league a record eighteen times and has won three League titles, five FA Cups and other trophies. Perhaps most significantly, he has lost tons of players, and still managed to keep us up there fighting for the top spot. He did all of this without money. The heroics of Arsene Wenger no longer draws the kind of adoration it should because we believe we deserve more, even though we never had the funds to really compete until a couple of years ago.
Jurgen Klopp lost two players to Bayern Munich (Mario Goetze and Robert Lewandowski) and suddenly, his Dortmund team that we all envy is battling relegation. Over the years, Wenger has lost Nicolas Anelka, Emmanuel Petit, Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Patrick Viera, Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin Van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and so on – and still, Arsenal never finished below the fourth position. In fact, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are the only already established world class players that Arsene Wenger has bought in nearly a decade and yet, our team Arsenal is looking better than ever.
I am not an AKB, and God knows that I have given our manager serious stick for many years. However, when I look at the totality of everything he has achieved, I feel really stupid having criticized the man, even when he deserved it. Klopp might be available but I don’t even want him. He is brilliant but he is no Arsene Wenger. The last thing I want is for my Arsenal to win the Premier League one season and be battling relegation the next season. Arsene Wenger, you sir are a genius. I tip my cap to you. Well done.
Uche Edochie
Lagos Nigeria