From DJ :
Hi Myles,
In America we have a word in sports called ‘clutch’.
The word clutch has a variety of meanings, but it is always tied, etymologically, to the word choke.
They are opposites in the purest sense, but not always in the view of some.
In the most basic sense to be clutch means to succeed in tough times, while to choke means to fail when things are hard.
Yet while these two terms can be tied individuals or groups, they seem completely separated from the individual and tied to the result, not the production.
So say two teams are playing each other, there will likely be one winner and one loser, but there will not always be one clutch team/person and one choking team/person. If a team plays bad the whole game and lose, they didn’t choke, they just struggled (unless they needed to get into the playoffs, but that’s another topic for later). To choke implies that there was a lead that was lost or a sense of victory that was almost achieved.
The same can be said for clutch, a team can win, but if they were ahead the whole time, they don’t receive the title of clutch.” (reference-http://www.milehighreport.com/2012/4/18/2743066/some-clarification-is-in-order-what-does-clutch-mean)
Having defined that ever since AW managed Monaco one thing is apparent.
He is terrible in cup finals, one-off games but great at a league or season. He is a great coach and visionary but a terrible ‘manager’. Managers deal with and fix problems under pressure with limited resources. Wenger can strategize and plan for a season or a quarter but not deliver or turnaround timely if a project/game is going south and he has just 45 minutes.
The problem with free-flowing total football is that the players are so talented that they never need to strategize thereby rarely becoming good clutch players. There are exceptions and that’s why Barcelona and WC Spain/Brazil are so adored. If you notice Mertesacker hardly played in the WC final. Same for Ozil. Thomas Mueller is my top clutch player.
John Terry and Drogba under Mourinho became fantastic clutch players.
In conclusion I believe AW is a great coach but a terrible manager.
He cannot strategize, think on his feet or outwit other managers. He has never beaten Mourinho, struggled against SAF and other top managers.
I think Arsenal will win 2-0 in Monaco and go out on away goals which will lend him credibility and a rant on bad luck.
But in the 2nd leg its almost a lost cause and odds against him so less pressure in a way.He cannot think quickly or has the clutch ability. So, he’ll never win the Champions league.
From Colin : Spartak 4-1
It was absolutely freezing that night long ago.
Henry and Kanu missed sitters early in the game, which would have made it 3 nil, game over.
Vieira was out, Bob and Freddie did nothing, and the famous bald Italian ref ran around all night gesticulating wildly with his gloved hands in the frigid air.
Wiltord came on late in the game, because Kanu was atrocious, as always. He could never run after 60 minutes. Correction. He could never walk after 60 mins, that’s all he ever did, aside from missing sitters.
Wiltord was hung over from his champagne romp with Russian supermodels the night before, but it wouldn’t have mattered if he had been as sober as a judge.
He was completely useless, apart from one goal from a rebound at Old Trollop, every time he laced up his boots.
Nice enough chap though, I had a laugh with him at the Marriott in Swiss Cottage one time.