Free Arsènal by Alex Fynn Page A

environment to express and experiment themselves. He takes the fear out of their play by coaxing them to be more elaborate, precise and imaginative.” As Wenger himself sums up, “I would say that usually to win is a consequence of the quality of play you achieve.” (Although the scintillating play served up in the 2002/03 and 2007/08 seasons show that the theory isn’t perfect.)
    Wenger’s training exercises are deployed not just to hone technique but to instil continuous thought, to get everyone into the habit of making the right choices and being able to read what their teammates are instinctively going to do. Wenger saw evidence of the success of his methods in his 2007/08 central midfield partnership of Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini: “Going forward they are technically good and very mobile. They have a good understanding and cover each other well.” When everything is going to plan, positive, incisive one-and two-touch play becomes second nature, and at their zenith, competitive matches resemble training-ground exercises and vice versa. A pattern of play is unfolded: vision, movement, speed and fluidity.
    During the short 20-minute drive from Totteridge to London Colney, Wenger will plan his day ahead. The actual training sessions themselves conform to a pattern although, as Wenger says, “In order that they retain their enthusiasm, the boys mustn’t know exactly what’s coming.” And he adds, “The two criteria for a good session is that it is conducted with a good spirit and that there is the satisfaction which is derived from whole-hearted commitment.” It is the highlight of his day. Nothing gives him more pleasure than being out on the pitch with his team. Training only lasts an hour and a half and he is at a loss to understand, and certainly would not tolerate, any player who does not put his heart and soul into every session. It is no co-incidence that at Arsenal no-one shirks training. Although he is omnipresent with the shrill sound of his whistle signifying the start and finish of each practice, Wenger doesn’t appear to coach his charges in the strict sense of the word. The main message is to merely clarify what is expected from them.
    With the incidence of midweek matches there tend to be only two rigorous sessions per week during the season. All begin with warm-up exercises and jogging which are usually delegated to Wenger’s trusted technical aide Boro Primorac and assistant manager Pat Rice, followed by a number of drills, each lasting around 20 minutes, under the manager’s eagle eye. Invariably the first is a control and pass examination designed to provide the aptitude and confidence to replicate the technique under match conditions. To facilitate commitment to the task in hand – there is no chance of the players knowing exactly what’s in store for them and therefore being able to coast – a small-sided game follows. It is unusual in that it can feature four goals, one on each side of the pitch, with Wenger’s whistle forcing swift decisions and precise shooting to locate the right target. Next comes the one-on-one test. From 30 yards, the attacker has to eliminate his marker and score as well as satisfying Wenger’s stopwatch, which, according to Bob Wilson, Wenger uses “to his own beliefs, which I think are based on medical science. And if he says the exercise is going to last for eight minutes and 20 seconds, then that is exactly what happens.” Kolo Toure commented, “I have Thierry Henry, Adebayor and Van Persie and if they don’t score I am pleased.” While all this is going on the goalkeepers are put through their own specified paces. They then join their teammates for the concluding episode: a full-scale 11-a-side game played under match conditions, which both sides do their utmost to win. It was under such circumstances that the newly acquired Thierry Henry learnt of the punishment he