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Wenger - Why I try to exude confidence

Arsene Wenger says it is essential for him to exude confidence before a match to help drive his team on to victory.

The Arsenal manager has been in charge since September 1996 and has overseen more than 600 wins in all competitions.

Wenger has always prepared in the same way before a game, but revealed that each player has their own routine that must be accounted for.

"You never know exactly the mental energy that will be in the team during the game, nor the physical energy"

Arsene Wenger

“Everybody is different and approaches a matchday differently, but I always try to be confident,” the manager told Arsenal Player. “I’m always confident that my team will do well and I want to show that.

“But you never know exactly the mental energy that will be in the team during the game, nor the physical energy that will be in everybody that day. Why? Because we are all human beings and don’t wake up every day in exactly the same state.

"That goes for each of the players as well, so if you multiply by 18, it shows you the uncertainty that can create. So I’m confident but also a bit uncertain and curious as to what kind of mental and physical energy will be in the tank for the team.

"I make sure that everybody around the team fills that tank as much as we can. Of course there is a certainty about the quality of my players but an uncertainty about the energy level that will be available on the day of the game.”

 

Danny Welbeck and Arsene Wenger

 

 

Wenger admits to a degree of anxiety just before kick off, but says the unpredictable nature of football is why he loves it so much.

“Of course I get nervous before the games because football is not mathematics,” he said. "In maths every day you know that one plus one is two. In football, one player plus one player doesn’t always add up to two players.

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“I’ve asked people many times why they think that football, that didn’t even exist in 1850, is so popular. I think there are two main reasons. The first one is that it’s completely unpredictable. More so than any other sport.

“The second reason is that everybody has a chance to play this sport, no matter how small or tall. That’s why football is becoming stronger and bigger all over the world.

“It’s so unpredictable that Bradford can go to Chelsea and win, Diego Maradona can be the best player in the world and is very small and Per Mertesacker can make over 100 caps and is very tall.

“This uncertainty and this huge potential is in your mind when you’re a manager as well, so of course it makes you nervous, because nobody knows what will happen.”

 

Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger