Wenger v Ferguson: Clash of the Premiership heavyweights

Football Food For Thought / Alsy / 27 November 2007 / 3

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Morgan in the Driving Seat - Alister Morgan looks at who you'd bet your house on to deliver silverware

As Christmas approaches, the top of the Premiership table is as congested as Oxford Street during the Boxing Day Sales. All the big guns remain in the hunt but, with Arsenal and Manchester United occupying the top two spots, it appears that the oldest and fiercest Premiership rivalry is about to flare up once more.

Now that the 'Special One' has been deemed too ordinary by Ambramovich the way is clear for Wenger and Fergie to resume hostilities. Fergie is often portrayed as 'old school', a hard-knock tactician to Wenger's 'Renaissance Man'. It's difficult to imagine Wenger upending the half time tea-tray or applying the hairdryer but you always sense a steely resolve beneath the velvet exterior.

Their single-minded approach is instilled in their teams who play superb football but are happy, on occasion, to subvert the rules of the beautiful game in pursuit of victory. Wenger's early teams had a poor disciplinary record while Ferguson's sides are not known for their cuddly approach to referees.

Both managers rarely admit that their charges are at fault. Wenger invariably misses the incident while Sir Alex is so emboldened by years of success that he thinks nothing of an FA charge for abusing referees. To be fair, they're employed as football managers not priests - in this respect they're in a class of their own.

Clearly, procuring English talent means more to Ferguson than Wenger but the Frenchman has a near-faultless record in the transfer market. Sir Alex has produced a host of sublime home-grown talent but his purchases have not always been successful. For every Rio there was a Kleberson and a Djemba-Djemba but Sir Alex can point to Schmeichel and Solskjaer and examples of superb players who cost about the price of Rooney's latest motor.

Wenger usually buys players we'd never heard of. The overwhelming majority of them have been wildly successful or have made the club huge profit when sold on. Ljungberg, Anelka (eventually sold for £23m profit) and Toure all cost under £500,000 while Vieira, Henry and Bergkamp were rescued from the Milan reserves, Juve's left wing and abuse at Inter Milan respectively... Campbell, Clichy and Fabregas cost Arsenal absolutely nothing.

The head-to-head record between Wenger and Ferguson is as close as you'd expect from the most successful clubs in the Premiership. Since the 1996-97 season Arsenal have won ten, lost nine and drawn eight games against Manchester United in all competitions. Along the way Wenger has won three Premiership titles in eleven years but when it comes down to silverware the Frenchman cannot compare to Ferguson who can boast six titles since Wenger arrived and a grand total of nine since the launch of the Premiership in 1992.

Both managers have collected plenty of FA Cups but one pot gives Ferguson serious bragging rights. United's Champions League victory in 1999 put Sir Alex in an elite class of managers - Wenger came close but it's remains a prize more valuable than domestic supremacy.

Currently, you can back Manchester [7.4] or Arsenal [9] to win the Champions League. United's more experienced squad deserves the shorter odds especially since, in the absence of Van Persie, Arsenal lack a striker or genuine gravitas.

On the domestic front you can back Manchester [2.76] or Arsenal [3.05] to win the Premiership. I don't think that Chelsea [5.5] or Liverpool [8.2] can be completely discounted as this stage of the season but it's a safer bet that Wenger or Ferguson will win another title this year.

So who is the better manager? If Derby Chairman Adam Pearson had the luxury of appointing Sir Alex or Arsene who should he favour? If he's not too fussed about buying English players he should probably go for Wenger - a manager who transformed the training and preparation of players off the pitch, to create sublime football on it, for a fraction of Fergie's budget. If not tell me why it should be Sir Alex?

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Marc L | 27 November 2007

Derby Chairman Adam Pearson would simply have no choice but to take Wenger as would any Premier League side with a small amount of funds.

Most of Ferguson's players would never have joined Derby, but I reckon a number of Wenger's would have!

There is a good chance Toure, Clichy, Eboue, Djourou, Senderos, Bendtner, Diaby and Almunia would have joined Derby if Wenger had been there to snap them up and that is only counting players from this seasons squad.

I am pretty sure any small EPL side would die to have this man at their club. I am not saying he would win the league with Derby, but he would most certainly up the standard of football at the club and probably make them a load of cash whilst at it. Wenger wins this one hands down!
Northern Lad | 27 November 2007

I agree with Marc L here. There is no doubt that Wenger would be a better manager than Ferguson at a club such as Derby, Marc has said it all really.

I am in absolute awe of Arsenal and their style this season. Last season, Wenger sacrificed all major trophies to gel an almost new breed of players together. Now he, and the Arsenal faithful are reaping the rewards.

As every week goes by, I fancy them more and more for the Premiership. Three points clear with a game in hand and unbeaten so far this season. To lose the title they will probably have to lose 3 or 4 of their remaining 25 games, while drawing 4 or 5 - I can't see it personally, as this team of kids remind me of the Man United kids some 11-12 years ago.
Johnny Centreback | 28 November 2007

It really depends on your objectives. Ferguson is the win at all costs guy. As you clearly point out he has won more trophies. If however you are interested in beautiful football and the true spirit of the beautiful game then you have to go with Wenger. I have to say that I totally disagree with lumping Wenger in with Ferguson as a subverter of the beautiful game. People have misconceptions about Wenger and his teams. When he and his players have misbehaved it has been either to protect beauty or to rail against those, like Ferguson's teams, who chose to play outside of the rules of football and in fact tried to manipulate the rules of football in their own favour. Earlier this year, Carlos Quieroz came out and tried to promote Alex Ferguson as a protector of the beautiful game. Nothing could be further from the truth. The only thing beautiful about Ferguson is his winning record. He is the poster child for winningisbeautiful.com .