The 2024/25 Premier League campaign seemed to promise so much for Arsenal fans at the beginning of the summer, but with only a handful of games remaining in the season now whilst manager Mikel Arteta will be relishing the upcoming Champions League semi final clashes with French Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain, we again know that the domestic table will see us as runners up for another year.
Despite our best efforts we just could not close that gap to Arne Slot’s Liverpool side and we again now slowly turn our attentions to the summer with the hopes of signing those few key puzzle pieces to really propel the first team set up to the next level – namely a consistent goalscoring striker.
As we look to enjoy our European adventure before fully looking at the coming 2025/26 campaign, we can drown our proverbial sorrows and frustrations with a little bit of nostalgia as former right back, and England international Lee Dixon recently sat down with his old colleague and team mate on the Betway sponsored Seaman Says podcast to discuss all things Arsenal, and with a number of topics covered, one of the most interesting parts was where they both discussed the differences between life as a player under George Graham, and then Arsene Wenger.
61 year old Dixon admitted that the approach of the two managers could not have been more different if they would have tried, but that is not something that will come as news to Gunners fans. Graham was the typical old school gaffer who prioritised shape, role, discipline and order whereas ‘Arsene was the freedom’ albeit regimented and tactical in his own way.
Asked to pick between the two of them, surprisingly he admitted that ‘it’s an easy question to answer’ but the caveat would be that the answer changes depending on which part of his career and development curve you applied it to.
“Educationally, George all day long. I’ve only realized the brilliance of Arsene Wenger since retiring and looking back. Because at the time I thought I knew it all and I was experienced. So he came and just gave me a load of freedom. Arsene was loads more fun. I had the freedom and the enjoyment I had my last six years because I was experienced, I knew where to be, I knew what to do. And I had Dennis [Bergkamp] and all those people to pass to. And he just let me do it. And so I loved playing for both of them, so I can’t really pick. But as I said, the other way around wouldn’t have worked. I needed to be taught and then needed to be allowed to play.”
Dixon went on to say that obviously with Wenger’s methods and more modern approach to a training day and things like sports science, it very quickly changed the face of English football and he referenced for example, that Manchester United players on England duty began asking for tips and advice because they saw that Wenger’s methods worked when it came to fitness and conditioning, even if it was a little bit bizarre at the beginning before players saw the benefits, and ultimately their careers extended.
It was a good time to be a Gunner, but what we would give for a Robin van Persie, a Thierry Henry or a Dennis Bergkamp now eh!
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