“Before I went to Arsenal, I was close to Olympiacos”

the Arsene Wenger He doesn’t talk much, but when he does he has a way of getting his point across. As he did on Thursday night, July 11, after the 2004 Legends friendly against UEFA All-Stars in Essen.

The former Arsenal manager pointed to the players who stood out in this year’s edition, how much the game has changed compared to the past, but also to the period when he was just a breath away from taking over at Olympiacos.

In detail what he said:

– Mr. Wenger, how did you see this game from a coach’s point of view with so many experienced players?

“It’s great to see that many of these players are still in good shape. It’s great that so many Greeks came here (sic: Essen) to watch this friendly. It means that Greek internationals have left good memories around the world. I was also at Euro 2004 to watch the games and today (yesterday): I saw some players that I remember. What I liked is that when Greece scored, the celebrations were like twenty years ago. It means that the game is still important to them. It seems that Greece prepared well for this match” (laughs).

– You are very passionate about football and good players. Who do you think, among those we saw at Euro 2024, has the potential to develop into a world football star?

“Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland are the ones who stand out among the new generation. In this tournament we have seen other kids, like Lamine Yamal. I would also like to say Neco Williams, and Rodri, who have had great performances. I think modern football is evolving. There will not be just two players who will dominate, maybe we will have more world stars if we educate the new generation well.

– Do you think we saw anything new tactically?

“I would say that the basic structure of the team has increased. Asking defenders to be good at more and more things has also increased the pressure. Consequently, the attackers also have to defend and score now. In every position, the demands have increased. Sometimes, this destroys the creativity in the game. Science can help to understand what is happening on the pitch, but we have to be careful not to hinder the initiative in football. Technology cannot destroy the initiative, but rather enhance it to interest us more.”

– We saw Greece win the title in 2004, which was a huge surprise. This year’s event saw Switzerland, Austria, Austria and Georgia do something different, but that’s about it.

“This year we have seen the gap between the theoretically “small nations” and the favourites. The gap has narrowed. You can see how few goals have been scored overall, due to the lower intensity. Of the big nations, only Spain and Germany have produced attacking football. Unfortunately, they met early in the tournament, in the quarter-finals.”

– You have worked with many great players, is there anyone who stands out above you?

“When you are a coach, you are like a father, so you love all your players. As a coach, you have to be lucky and I am very lucky because I have worked with many great players. You don’t want to divide your players, the good thing is that when you look back, you see and realise how great the players I have worked with are.”

– One last thing: have you ever been close to any Greek team in the past?

“At one point I was close to Olympiacos, when Mr Kokkalis was president. After seven years in Monaco, I was close to Olympiacos, but nothing happened.”