Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that he follows a scientific approach to his team selection and makes it a point to hold talks with his team’s medical personnel on the morning of every match before announcing his starting eleven.

Wenger has been at the helm of the Premier League giants since September 1996 and he has gone on to manage the north London outfit in over 1,000 games, winning three league titles and five FA Cups in the process.




The Frenchman has always been lauded for being among football’s pioneering managers by making use of analytics while bringing new players to the Emirates Stadium, and he has revealed that he tries to be scientific in his team selection as well.

“I always have eight or nine players of my team in my head the day before the game, but there’s always a doubt on one or two”, he told the Arsenal Magazine.
 


“You try to make it as scientific as much as you can, but it’s intuitive as well because you have to think if the balance of the team is right or if one player was a bit better in the last training session.

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“Has one player got a bit of a cold maybe? When two players are together in your mind, competing for one position, every single detail can go for one of them – experience, confidence under pressure – everything can make a difference.”

He further added that he never fails to assess the fitness of his players on the morning of every match to make his final decision.

“I always have a final chat with the medical people to make my mind up and make sure that everybody is alright. I do that on the morning of every game. Then I make my decision.

“Anyway, you always have your team in your head, for the whole week. You never go to bed without thinking about what the next line-up will be.

“You live with that always. That can create uncertainties, because you think about it every day. If you don’t know on Friday night, you will not know on Saturday morning so you have to decide in your head early, and go for it.”

Arsenal are currently lying third in the Premier League and are strong favourites to finish the season among the top four.

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