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Arsene Wenger has described how he felt relieved when he and Arsenal mutually decided to part ways after nearly 22 years last summer.
The Frenchman dubbed his exit from the north London club he guided to three Premier League titles and a record seven FA Cups “both a breakup but also a relief for me,” per TalkSport’s Jake Bacon.
Wenger, who was speaking at L’Olympia in Paris, also shed light on how the decision to step down was taken.
The 69-year-old wasn’t sacked, nor did he take the outright decision to walk away: “In life there are some splits that you choose and some that are imposed on you. In this case it was a bit of a mix of the two, because at a certain point, the fans need a change. In my last year it was becoming difficult.”

Wenger, who kept Arsenal competitive while the club repaid the debt for the Emirates Stadium, found the last years of his job “extraordinarily difficult.”Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Wenger’s reference to the difficulties he faced during his latter years in charge is telling. Fan protests became common while the Gunners struggled, and eventually failed, to maintain their place in the UEFA Champions League they had enjoyed under Wenger for the better part of two decades.
He referred to the increased pressure during these times in stark and uncomfortable terms: “Carrying that responsibility for so long, with all the obligations that come with it, it wears you out. It’s extraordinarily difficult. And last year I felt I was beginning to pay the price health-wise.”
A fifth-place finish in the Premier League in 2017 ended Arsenal’s stay at Europe’s top table. Although beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final added gloss to a disappointing campaign, Wenger would not see out the two-year contract he agreed shortly after.
Arsenal finished sixth in 2018, the first time the club failed to either qualify for the Champions League or win a trophy during the Wenger era. Significant changes behind the scenes, including the high-profile appointments of Raul Sanllehi and Sven Mislintat, pointed to change even before Wenger’s final campaign was concluded.
The decision to move on was announced in April 2018, and Unai Emery was eventually chosen to replace Wenger. He has Arsenal third and poised to return to the Champions League following Monday’s 2-0 home win over Newcastle United.
Coral @Coral
Unai Emery has equalled Arsenal’s points tally from last campaign with seven games to spare in his first season in charge.
2017/18: 38 games, 63 points
2018/19: 31 games, 63 pointsThey go ahead of Spurs and into third for the first time this season. ? https://t.co/HYsGwEMmeB
Although many would consider Emery’s work so far a minor miracle, he inherited significant talent from his predecessor. Wenger left behind two prolific strikers in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, as well as ample creative talents Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Aaron Ramsey.
Exciting young players such as Alex Iwobi and Ainsley Maitland-Niles also graduated from the academy on Wenger’s watch. Both have become useful figures Emery trusts.
Add in capable full-backs Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin, along with experienced goalkeeper Petr Cech, and it’s not as if Emery was made to work from a blank canvas.
Even so, the Spaniard deserves credit for the subtle tweaks he’s made to improve Arsenal’s league form. Specifically, the former Valencia, Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain boss has altered the style of play that became overly familiar under Wenger, per Charlie Eccleshare and Daniel Zeqiri of the Daily Telegraph:
“Emery’s Arsenal, by contrast, have been far less concerned with keeping the ball at all costs. Arsenal average 514.9 passes per 90 this Premier League season having racked up 598.95 last season, while their average passes per period of possession has decreased from 5.86 to 5.03. Passes into the final third has fallen from 77.13 per 90 to 59.13. Their average pass length has also increased marginally, hinting at more directness.”
Emery has also shown a greater willingness to alter his tactics and the team’s shape for different opponents. While Wenger was dogmatic in his fidelity to playing an attractive, expansive game, Emery has used a back three, diamond and 4-4-2 formation to frustrate opponents.
He’s helped the Gunners beat top-six rivals Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal also earned a draw against Liverpool and managed stalemates in away fixtures against United and Spurs.
OptaJoe @OptaJoe
12 – Arsenal have won 12 points in their 10 Premier League games against fellow ‘big six’ opposition this season – double the amount they won in such games last season. Improved. #ARSMUN https://t.co/JbV6nSmg7f
Wenger has been out of work since stepping down, but he’s been quick to praise the work of his successor. In December, he lauded the 47-year-old Emery for “doing an excellent job” and instilling “a form of defensive stability,” per James Benge of the London Evening Standard.
The question now is, can Emery do more than stabilise the Gunners? His bigger challenge will be ending a title drought stretching back to 2004 when Wenger’s “Invincibles” won the league without losing a game.
While he never hit those heights again, Wenger merits some credit for leaving Emery enough to work with to engineer a quick turnaround from the struggles of the last two seasons.
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