By Myles Palmer
I still love Arsene Wenger because he is such a master motivator and spin-doctor.
Even if I did criticise him a few times in my new book.
Arsene’s comments yesterday are ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT !
He has sent a strong message to his French stars at this crucial moment in the season.
Schalke is now a massive game for Vieira, Pires and Henry. And maybe Wiltord, if he starts.
Arsene said,”The biggest success is winning the Champions League.If you are a true winner, that is the ultimate competition. Maybe in terms of ego and glory it does not mean as much as the World Cup — but for quality it is the top.”
He said that the Champions League is much more demanding than the World Cup Finals.
“You have to be consistent all season. You need to play
17 games over eight months — not seven games over
five weeks, like the World Cup.”
He is saying : WAKE UP! YOU HAVEN’T WON THE BIG ONE!
These remarks remind me of the manager’s public pep-talk just before the second leg of the quarter-final leg in Valencia.
He said (I’ve just looked it up on page 262) : “We are still in a situation where we can put everything right and have a great season. Tonight is a big occasion because Valencia have proved consistently to be one of the best sides in Europe. If we can win through this one, everything is possible.”
Way back on April 17th, I thought those comments were just perfect.He reminded his players, and the fans, that everything was still possible. The subtext was : we have nothing to fear but fear itself.
It turns out that Andy Moller will play in the hole behind the front two, where he will not have to do too much running.
But Bohme,Wilmots and striker Sand are all injured.
My Polish pal Kaz Mochlinski talked to some friends who felt, last night, that Tomas Waldoch might NOT be allowed to play with a plastic mask over his broken nose.
Schalke want him to play because he is the captain. But UEFA may not allow it, although Lazio’s Mihailovoic wore one last season.
Everyone thinks that Grimandi will play at left centreback. I would have favoured Stepanovs there for his size.He would be handy defending set-pieces and also when Arsenal get free-kicks and corners.
Grimandi, of course, has far more experience than Stepanovs, but Agali is a big boy who needs to be marked by a big boy.
But, since Stepanovs has not played a first team game this season, Wenger cannot throw him into the deep end tonight. Well, I don’t think he can and I don’t think he will.
I’m really looking forward to this game. And to chatting with the guys on the book stall in Gillespie Road, who originally ordered 100 copies.
They had sold about 70 copies for 15 quid each after the Leeds and Leicester games, so maybe they will have sold out after tonight.
Just a had a phone call (10.40 a.m.) to say that Schalke are training in Regents Park.
September 19th 2001.