This article is not on the Ebola fever about which much has been written. It is about a different kind of fever; the type that gripped the world (World Cup) about the time Ebola gripped West Africa. This is the season of soccer.
The English Premier League (EPL) starts in earnest today with the close of the transfer window, much to the consternation and bemusement of several wives and girlfriends who have to contend with distracted attention and half-hearted services of their men in the next six months.
Mourinho and Wenger
Many women—and a few men—simply can't understand what the excitement is all about. Why would 22 young men run round a restricted pitch chasing, and hoping to catch, a small, round, leather ball not with their hands, but with their legs. As if that is not crazy enough, an odd man with a whistle cuts a comic figure as he chases the men who chase the ball but makes sure neither the ball nor its pursuer touches him.
An impartial observer—and many women are—cannot understand the ridiculous poses of her husband/boyfriend/brother as he twists and turns on the coach or the legs that kick and jab in response to whatever is happening on the TV. She has also learnt to gauge the moods. A sullen, irritable mood means his team has lost, while an exuberant, elated mood means his team has won. For many, the mood lasts for a couple of hours, then they can talk about it. For some, it goes on until the next game whenever that might be, putting everybody in the house—or office—on edge.
These days, the twenty-two young men who do the chasing are usually multi-millionaires and the game itself has spun into a multi-billion dollar industry that employs millions of people all over the world. Welcome to our sport.
I could talk about the different aspects of soccer; from the kids who are spotted and groomed at an age when they are barely taller than the ball itself; to the academies that sift and sift until only the finest talents pass through; to the young men who are left disillusioned and broken because they never made it; to the mental and technical conditioning that hone the talents into human machines; to the agents and men on the fringes who promote, manipulate and sometimes destroy their wards; to the administrators, the fat cats who lord it over the rest of us; to the fans who give time, money and energy to follow their teams all over the world.
But much has been written about these people while little is known about those who sit in the dug house biting nails and chewing gums. They never get into the pitch—in fact—it is an infringement if they do- but are every inch as involved as the players while the game is on and more involved when the game is over. They are the ones who share the joy of victory with the players, the club and the fans but carry the burden of defeat virtually alone. They symbolise the modern game which is now sometimes lost and won in the dressing room. I am talking about the people we call managers or gaffers. And two people in the EPL today—Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger—represent the contrasting styles of modern football management.
The transfer window ended just a fortnight ago, with the typical, frenetic last minute shopping. Wenger was active until the last minute while Mourinho was done with his shopping long before then. Does the person who waits till Xmas eve to do his shopping get the best deal or the rejects? While this is subject to debate, it is an indication of a contrasting personality trait which will reflect on their management styles.
But first the similarities. Both are polyglots—each speaks at least four different languages fluently. Neither played football to any significant level. Both are bad losers. Wenger sulks and can be incommunicado for hours while Mourinho rants and charges at everyone. Both are technically proficient and obsessed with details. Both have been known to study tapes for hours on end looking for strengths and weaknesses of their opponents.
But it is in the area of human management that the differences begin to show. Mourinho is openly demonstrative; when he is not hugging or back slapping his players, he is ticking their ears. He gives carrots via weekend breaks etc but lets them know the stick is not too far away. Wenger is reserved and acts like an aloof father.
He deeply cares about his players and their families but has an invincible line they don't cross. Unlike Mourinho, he hardly enters into spats with his player past or present. But the biggest difference in my opinion is their approach to winning which is reflected in the way they build their teams. Mourinho looks for competent, hard working players who must track back to defend. After all, you can't lose a game if you don't concede goals. So he goes for ready-made players who are proven in their positions. Wenger on the other hand looks for flair and doesn't believe in winning ugly.
He picks players young and nurtures them and is perhaps guilty of holding on too long to some of them. Mourinho is somewhat ruthless; he sucks an orange and can throw it away immediately without compulsion if he is not satisfied with the juice. The difference can therefore be summarised as that between a pragmatist and an idealist.
I believe they both would be better managers if they could learn from each other. The fans want to be entertained; but they also want their teams to win. But it is this contrasting style plus the fact that they don't even like each other that adds to the excitement and heightens the fever around our beautiful game. It also makes it more difficult to predict the eventual winner of the EPL
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