LONG ago, that celebrated Hungarian writer, domiciled in England, Arthur Koestler, wrote a famous essay titled French Flu. No, he wasn't talking about football, but of what he perceived at the time was a mindless fashion among literary intellectuals to exalt anything French at the expense of anything English. You wonder whether just now we are experiencing something of the same in terms of football. More specifically, in the shape of two English club managers, both French, Arsene Wenger of Arsenal and Gerard Houllier of Liverpool.
It has recently been bruited that Wenger was delaying about signing a new contract with the Gunners which he hoped would be worth three million pounds a year! They and their main executive David Dein appear to think he is worth it. But are they right? Of the Alsatian's many qualities there can be no doubt. Like Houllier, he is a cut above the average English club manager, in terms of intellect, education and sophistication. He had great success for many years at Monaco, though it ended in tears. He was much respected in Japan, where they would still reportedly like him to take over the international team. With Arsenal, not too far back, he actually brought off the remarkable feat of winning the League and FA Cup double.
Yet if the acid test, as I believe it to be, is how a team fares in Europe, what is to be said of Arsenal under Wenger? They began their quest for the European Cup this season as uneasily as they had - and continued to do - in previous seasons. For all the colossal sums of money they had spent on stars - Thierry Henry, Francis Jeffers, Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp, Sylvain Wiltord, and the seemingly unusable Edu from Brazil - they looked largely inept in Mallorca; hardly the most powerful or menacing team in the competition, or even in Spain itself.
True, their problems were compounded by the very correct sending off of their impetuous young England left back, Ashley Cole, resulting in the penalty kick which would decide the game, but that was no adequate excuse for an all round performance of baffling mediocrity; to follow alas so many of its kind in the past. Not for a moment did Arsenal succeed in dominating the lively young Mallorca centre forward, Luque, hardly a household word in the Primera Liga. Something was all too embarrassingly missing; just as it had been in the previous three seasons.
Last season, in fact, was the first time, under Wenger, that the Gunners had even got as far as the quarterfinals; and there they went down in a blaze of mediocrity to Valencia. Looking back, even on that season, we find other disappointing displays. Some excuse for the collapse away to Shakhtor Donetsk, where Arsenal put out a depleted team, though it performed with limp ineffectuality. Little or none for a return to Eastern Europe in which Spartak Moscow took the Gunners' defence to pieces.
From last season on there wasn't even the feeble excuse that the team didn't like playing at Wembley where its games had been switched purely to make money in front of bigger crowds. But goodness knows there were some drab performances there, defeats at various times in the first stages of the European Cup by the likes of Barcelona, a Fiorentina team in crisis, and modest Lens. A lesson in football from Dynamo Kiev, so unlucky to have a fine goal by Andrei Shevchenko ruled out.
Arsenal's lame excuse was that they were better off at Highbury, first because the confines of the pitch were narrower - so much for flowing football! - secondly because simply being at Wembley inspired foreign teams to excel!
A persisting criticism of Wenger has been his seeming inability to deal with the indiscipline of his team. Thus, Cole was sent off, Vieira has been constantly in trouble and suspended, while at Wembley, Ray Parlour, against Lens, was sent off for a shocking kick at an opponent and Lee Dixon the English international right back deserved to go for running into the back of Tony Vairelles and disgracefully getting the Frenchman sent off.
There must be doubts too about Wenger's transfer policy. Though it has brought distinguished internationals to Highbury, among them Sol Campbell who came on a free transfer from the eternal rivals, Tottenham - and has still really to settle down - other acquisitions have been less happy. A slew of very modest Europeans and South Americans. The aforementioned transfer of Edu who was originally sent straight back to Brazil for travelling on a false Portuguese passport, before obtaining one which satisfied the immigration authorities; and has since notably failed to make a true impact. Plus the curious obsessional use of a player as mediocre and abrasive as Frenchman Gilles Grimandi.
And Houllier? A man I have long known and much respected, already a fluent English speaker when he arrived to coach Liverpool, having in fact taught in that city, as a young schoolmaster. Liverpool at their best are beyond doubt a formidable team but how often do they attain it? Last season abundant luck was on their side in their various achievements. In the FA Cup semifinals they struggled to beat little Wycombe Wanderers. In the League Cup final they could beat Birmingham from a League lower only on penalties. In the FA Cup final in that same Millennium Stadium, against Arsenal, they got away with two blatant handling offences by their Swiss defender, Stephane Henchoz. In the UEFA Cup final against gallant but obscure Alaves their defence was as full of holes as a colander though fortunately Alaves' was the same.
This season in their first European game at home to Portugal's Boavista, they were troubled throughout by their opponents' quicksilver Brazilians and had to rely on yet another goal from the inspired Michael Owen to achieve as much as a draw. Plus Houllier's abrasive relationship with the talented rumbustious striker Robbie Fowler and his veto on Sky television, for daring to raise the question of Fowler's dispute with coach Phil Thompson. French Flu?
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