Sports Nicknames - Le Professuer

Arsene Wenger is one of the most famous managers of all time, contributing enormously to the English game over the course of 22 years. He maintained a strict philosophy on how the game should be played, earning him the nickname of Le Professuer (The Teacher) from English media.



Wenger had an OK playing career at the amatuer level before entering the manager's game. His first noteworthy job was at Nancy, where he began some of the traditions he would become famous for later: implementing dietary restrictions and tinkering with the team to switch player positions. However, it wasn't refined at Nancy, so he went to Monaco, winning the 1st Division and Coupe de France.

All of this led to his appointment at Arsenal, where he immediately implemented his dietary regime again. His tactical instructions and competition for spots almost immediately paid off, as Arsenal continued to challenge for trophies. Eventually his attacking style and openness to signing relatively unknown foreign players led to 3 Premier League Trophies - one of which was the famous "Invincibles" trophy. It also led to a variety of FA Cup successes, 7 in total.

Wenger has been criticized at times due to his unbending nature. He always wanted to play attacking football, which some say led to a smaller trophy haul than otherwise could have been achieved. This is especially true in Europe, as Arsenal only reached one Champions League Final and one Europa League final before losing both.

Wenger left his mark on English football, bringing dietary regimes and an eye for young foreign talent unlike anyone before him. However, his reluctance to change from the attacking style might have resulted in Arsenal being less successful over the second half of his tenure than they could have been.


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