Free Arsènal by Alex Fynn Page B

could expect from Premier League defenders after undergoing a no-holds-barred initiation in his own back yard at the hands, or rather the feet, of Tony Adams and Martin Keown.
    The mental abilities of his charges to absorb what they are taught without having their hand held is a key factor in Wenger’s decision on who he prioritises for his top 30, his meaningful first-team contenders. Regarding Kolo Toure, he admitted, “Technically he might have been less gifted than some of his young teammates [at ASEC Mimosas in the Ivory Coast], but he had that charismatic attitude which makes a difference.” The charismatic attitude is more accurately described as being smart enough to make the best use of natural ability coupled with the fervent desire to do so. Toure remembers of the Ivorian academy that gave him his first real opportunity, “I was not the best player in that group, but I was the cleverest. In football, and in life, you have to be clever. Now when I call the others I advise them what they have to do and I hope they can make it, too. If they use their brains, they will be much better than me.” However, he certainly wasn’t clever enough to work out what Wenger had in mind for him. It is only with hindsight he now understands how he was subtly handled. “When I came at first I did extra training every day,” he remembers. “At that time he [Wenger] spoke to me every morning and afternoon. The coaches knew my qualities but told me how to do different things. They never told me what they were thinking. They just took me aside each day and gave me advice and instructions – and then I began to see what was happening [that he was being groomed for a pivotal central defensive role].”
    And the element of surprise can be disconcerting. More recently, Wenger’s ever-inquiring mind has discovered that by timing how quickly the players receive the ball and then lay it off, he can enhance their movement and interplay. Specifically, statistics can prove or disprove what he picks up from the touchline. He can tell Fabregas that despite the media consensus that the midfielder has put in another outstanding display, he occasionally dwelt on the ball to the detriment of a passing movement. The player may argue but the figures enable the manager to have the last word. “Technical superiority,” he says, “can be measured.”
    The spadework for Kolo Toure’s conversion from midfielder/full back to centre back was accomplished during pre-season – the most important weeks of the year for Wenger. It is surely no coincidence that Arsenal have won titles – 1998, 2002 and 2004 – the seasons following summer months with no World Cup or European Championship finals taking place. With such a high-quality cosmopolitan squad Arsenal supplies more and more internationals to these tournament finals. And so after the extension of their seasons into June or in some cases mid-July, the early part of Wenger’s critical pre-season preparation has to take place without them. The manager knows from experience that it is best to give them a complete break and phase them in when he can. Nevertheless, it appears that the fatigue endured and the lack of an optimum pre-season preparation takes its toll and the team invariably fall short of its target – agonisingly so in 1999 and again in 2003 when they set the pace with scintillating football but ended up in second place.
    When the manager does speak to the group, “he does it quietly in a way that makes you listen,” says Toure. So no bombastic rallying call, but a calm message, delivered with an authoritative voice that manages to enthuse and persuade his players with the conviction that, as the fans put it, “Arsène knows”. “He believes,” says Bob Wilson, “that you can only rollock a team, have a real go at them, three or four times a season. Otherwise, the impact is lost. Similarly,