Redknapp Unwittingly Proves Wenger Is A Class Apart

Harry Redknapp thinks he is a very good manager and is capable of being in the top four if not better. His comments before the game and after the game are clear evidence that he has a high opinion of himself and found a humbling defeat hard to take. The following quote from his post match interview is just an example

We committed suicide really and it cost us. It was Sunday-morning stuff. You see that play on the park. All three goals were scandalous.

There is no gap between the clubs in my opinion, I think two mistakes turned the game upside down. We’ve got 19 points and we’ll still be right up there at the end of the season.

Even before the game he had talked about the weaknesses that Arsenal have and how Crouch could be unplayable.

Anyone struggles against Crouch, nobody can handle him if the service is good

Arsene had his own way of having a dig at all the comments from the Spuds

In our job it is about performances not about opinions, and so I believe the most important is what you do on the football pitch.

Ultimately, Redknapp lost face when the performance on the pitch couldn’t match all their talk. I don’t like listening to pundits but one of them got it right when he said, “Tottenham talk the talk, but Arsenal walk the walk.”

I am not denying that the Spuds boss is a good manager. In fact, that is exactly what proves how great Arsene is.  Interestingly, there were some other statements from Redknapp that just showed the gap between the two managers.

He tried to prove that Arsene has no role in finding and developing young players.

He has a great scouting system, it’s about recruitment. No disrespect to Arsene, it’s not him finding the kids — no more than it is me finding the kids here. Someone is finding them and bringing them into the club. Arsene isn’t standing on Hackney Marshes on a Sunday watching kids play football.

I guess no one ever told the tots’ boss that it is the manager’s responsibility to develop a scouting system. Firstly, the man in charge would have to have enough understanding of the game to identify quality young players. Secondly, he would have to recruit the scouts who could understand his philosophy and do a proper job. Thirdly, he would still have to look at countless tapes and keep tabs on scores of players in order to unearth one or two gems.

These might be difficult notions for a man who cannot see beyond the likes of Defoe and Palacios. It is men like Redknapp who inflate the market. They have no scouting network and no real ability to spot the talent of a relative unknown. Obviously, when their knowledge is limited their market would also be limited. Simple supply and demand economics would then inflate the market in which they operate. Most of the managers fall in this category.

To put this into perspective, the best mid field player at Spuds was first discovered by Arsene and he is not good enough to get into the Arsenal team. The tots paid ₤12 million for that player. Wenger could have signed him for a fraction of that.

Another important aspect to consider here is the extra effort that anyone would have to put in to create and manage such a network. It is obvious that Redknapp does not have such a system. The result also showed his tactical inadequacy. Can you imagine how much harder Arsene must be working when compared to a well respected guy like Harry?

The Spuds’ boss also made the following comment about Vermaelen

Vermaelen has done very well. I was recommended him as a left-back but we were strong in that position. People who recommended him didn’t speak of him as a central defender.

Compare this with the story about Arsenal tracking Vermaelen even after the scout saw Ajax, with TV5 at left back, concede ten goals in two games!  Doesn’t it clearly show the difference between the people Redknapp works with and those Arsene works with?

What prevents Harry from finding the right people? I would say it is his limited knowledge and ability that prevents him. Shouldn’t a manager have enough sense to know whether a player can play center back or not? He does himself no favors by passing the buck on to people who recommended the Belgian. You can easily imagine the limited choices available to such a manager.

Arsene is perhaps the most hardworking manager in the league. He is also the most visionary. There’s only one Arsene Wenger. I think Harry Redknapp has just helped us establish that. What do you think?