Arsene Wenger snubbed advice from Arsenal legend Martin Keown during coaching stint
Arsenal legend Martin Keown has revealed he tried and failed to get Arsene Wenger to change his approach to defence during his brief time back coaching with the club.
The former Gunners defender played a key role in helping his old side tighten up at the back during their memorable run to the 2006 Champions League final, when they went ten consecutive games without conceding a goal.
Arsenal have arguably not looked as solid defensively since then, though it seems Wenger was not all that receptive to Keown’s influence.
Speaking in a question-and-answer session with fans via the Daily Mail , Keown revealed he tried to get the Frenchman into the habit of showing defenders how to improve via video, but he refused.
“In 2006, I was asked to come and work at the club. I helped out Pat Rice when they did defending sessions,’ Keown said.
“There was one player who was making positional mistakes that were costing the team goals. I wanted to flag up these mistakes to the player by showing him the footage but Wenger did not want him to see it”.
In Wenger’s view, if a player sees himself making mistakes the problem becomes even bigger his mind.
Bournemouth (H) – Sat 9 Sep
FC Koln (H) – Europa League – Thu 14 Sep
Chelsea (A) – Sun 17 Sep
Doncaster (H) – League Cup – Tue 19 Sep
West Brom (H) – Mon 25 Sep
BATE Borisov (A) – Europa League – Thu 28 Sep
Brighton (H) – Sun 1 Oct
Source: Metro.co.uk
