“You need to respect this mission, and after that you play football” - Robert Pires opens up on Arsene Wenger’s approach to coaching Arsenal
Robert Pires recently commented about playing under former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Pires won two Premier Leagues with the Gunners and was a key member of the 2003-04 Invincibles side.
Pires racked up 14 goals and eight assists in 36 league appearances during the Invincibles season as his side went the full league campaign undefeated. The Frenchman has now opened up on his experience of playing under Wenger.
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, Pires said:
"As a coach, you know him. For me, he was one of the best managers in the Premier League. As a person, he was good. He loved to talk with the players, especially the guys on the bench because to manage them it's really difficult."
Pires added:
"We learned a lot under him [tactically]. We always played 4-4-2. I played six seasons with him and it'd always be that formation. Sometimes he'd change me for Reyes, Wiltord or Ljungberg but the structure was the same."
Speaking about Wenger's approach, he said:
"And he says, 'All of you have a mission. So you need to respect this mission and after that, you play football.' For me, it was easy because he said 'You are free.'"
Watch Robert Pires talk about Arsene Wenger (from 23:29):
Arsene Wenger is widely recognized as one of the best managers in Premier League history. However, he didn't have the same success during the later part of his Arsenal career. At this time, the Gunners were significantly weaker in terms of quality as they had a much superior squad in the early 2000s.
Robert Pires' Arsenal career
Robert Pires joined Arsenal from Olympique Marseille in 2000. He played 284 games for the Gunners, scoring 84 goals and providing 62 assists. Alongside Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Jens Lehmann, and more Pires was a part of one of the best Gunners sides in history.
Although the winger was integral to Wenger's system, Pires left the club in 2006 and joined Villarreal. He also played for Aston Villa, Olympique Marseille, FC Metz, and FC Goa during his career. Pires made 79 appearances for France, scoring 14 goals and providing 18 assists.
The Frenchman won the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro, the Premier League (twice), and other trophies during his career. Pires hung up the boots in 2015.