Wenger, L'Auteur

"Yet there is maybe another reason that Wenger’s own cinematic narrative increasingly resembles a hubristic Greek tragedy rather than a story of redemption. Just as Sonny Corleone’s death scene in The Godfather no longer shocks, the methods which gave Wenger such an edge in the mid-90s are no longer so unique. Every team now applies science to their preparation; many others possess youth systems as productive. And while it’s open to debate whether more teams play better football than Arsenal, the likes of Barcelona have complemented it with a new level of craft." In Episode Sixty Four of the Blizzard Podcast, we look back on Wenger, l’Auteur by Miguel Delaney, first published in Issue Two in September 2011 (as a listener’s choice - @ArsenalWay_ on Twitter, if you’re asking. And yes, we get the last episode number wrong at the beginning, too; it’s been a busy week at Blizzard HQ and we’re very tired.) In it, Miguel looks at what Arsene Wenger might learn from the Hollywood directors’ school of the 1970s – if he had any interests outside football, that is. Have Wenger’s initial successes at Highbury led to him becoming over-indulged at the Emirates in much the same was Michael Cimino and Francis Ford Coppola were by the studios in Hollywood after their early Oscar-winners? Has he failed to learn the lessons of adapting his original ‘Invincibles’ squad, rather than pursuing idealistic perfection? If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd. Issue Two, like all issues of The Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while a print versions are available from £6 + postage. You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.