Pep Guardiola may feel like he is getting a rough ride at the moment, but Arsene Wenger claimed that it was harder for foreign managers when he arrived at Arsenal 20 years ago.
Manchester City boss Guardiola has come in for growing criticism during a run of just five wins in 16 games and many supporters are unconvinced by goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, the Chilean who was signed at the expense of Joe Hart.
There will be no let-up if City lose to Arsenal tomorrow, which could see them fall 10 points behind leaders Chelsea.
But Wenger said: ‘I should get some newspapers from when I arrived here and you will see that it’s much easier today for the foreign managers. When I arrived here it was difficult for the foreign managers. Today it is difficult for the English managers.’
The Frenchman was one of just two foreign managers in the Premier League in 1996. Ruud Gullit at Chelsea was the other.
Wenger met resistance for changing players’ diets, putting broccoli and steamed fish on the menu and banning pre-match chocolate bars. On one occasion, it left Arsenal players at the back of the team bus to Blackburn chanting: ‘We want our Mars bars back.’
The 67-year-old smiled yesterday when reminded of that era and suggested Guardiola may benefit from slowing down the pace of change at City. ‘Pep tries to play positively, so yes of course I admire him,’ said Wenger. ‘People are always resistant to radical change. He has his philosophy and you expect him to put that print on his team.
‘People might be resistant but they are, as well, ready to cope with it if it is successful. Our job is to always accept you want your own philosophy but at the right pace, and when you go somewhere, sometimes you have to analyse what is going on and bring in your philosophy at a pace where you think they can cope with it.’
The financial situation has also changed for Arsenal in the last couple of years. They don’t have the wealth of City, but the difference between the clubs has changed to the point where the Gunners are confident their star players will no longer end up at the Etihad Stadium. Five players left Arsenal for City between 2009 and 2014: Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Adebayor.
They also sold Robin van Persie to Manchester United during a period in which the North London club struggled to cope with the financial strength of their Premier League rivals.
‘City were good clients!’ Wenger joked. ‘We are in a stronger position now. Today I feel we can give financial satisfaction and support ambitions and values that can make the players happy at this club.
‘Before, perhaps the financial gap was too big a difference to keep our players.
‘We could not compete, we had to sell players. It has reduced but it is still there.’