Arsene Wenger Lambasts The State Of Modern Football, “Freedom” To Be Creative A Lost Art

By The Editor
on 22nd January 2025

Arsene Wenger not a fan of the current game…

Former Arsenal great Arsene Wenger took aim at the state of modern football while speaking at a football writer’s awards evening to honour the career of Dennis Bergkamp.

Wenger, a believer in giving players complete freedom and allowing them to express themselves, bemoaned the lack of creative freedom in today’s game.

Modern football has often been described as ‘robotic’ with the top coaches in the game aiming to create a consistent game model that revolves around positional play.

Each player is tasked with occupying certain zones when in possession to prioritise repetition and ensure that the desired players are ready in case of a turnover to contain a counter-attack.

That’s the antithesis to Wenger’s philosophy and as he lavished praise on Bergkamp, the Frenchman believes the ‘The Iceman’ is one of the last of a dying breed.

“People who love the game, love to be surprised,” Wenger said as he went into one of his iconic speeches (via HaytersTV).

“Unfortunately, the game has become much more physically intense today, but as well has lost a little bit that freedom that allows people to express their special vision of the game.

“On that front, I feel maybe we played during a gifted period.”

Wenger went on to claim that watching Bergkamp train made him feel guilty, indicating that he saw quality he felt should’ve cost him an entry fee.

That is the kind of quality the iconic boss feels today’s game lacks, whether that’s down to player profiles or coaches suppressing their individuality.

While Wenger has a point, the style of football he despises is what’s currently dominating elite-level football and failure to adapt will leave you behind.

It’s what happened towards the end of his tenure and as the former Monaco boss continued to empower his players, they were left looking for ideas having come up against sides specifically curated to nullify their threats and expose their weaknesses.