Arsene Wenger is the second longest serving manager in the premier league, with him achieving such a long stay by not only having consistently good performances on the pitch but also thinking outside of the box and ensuring that big picture is taken care of.
In terms of a poker tournament, he is thinking a long way ahead, not making rash decisions for the now but ensuring that by the time he gets to the final table he has the best weapons he could possibly have. He would make an excellent poker player, a deep thinker and person who have the ability to put on the very best of poker faces.
Van Persie!
Just this year Wenger decided to let Robin Van Persie go to Manchester United in a deal worth £24 million, which led to many Arsenal fans believing it wasn’t the best move made during his reign. However, despite the fact that Arsenal lost one of their best players, Wenger certainly made sure they got the very best price for him!
Alex Ferguson himself was the first to admit that during the transfer, it was difficult to read exactly what Wenger was thinking during the haggling process.
Poker Face!
This is exactly what Ferguson meant, the ability that Wenger has at keeping all of his emotions under control through the use of a poker face. Any good manager will need this type of skill set when negotiating the purchase or sale of any player, so that the manager on the other end really does not know what the other is thinking. Wenger didn’t show anything, he didn’t get over excited which would have made it obvious that he thought he was getting a better price than he should, whilst on the flip side he managed to do all of this without annoying his opponent Ferguson.
Odds!
Buying a player is about calculating the odds and risks, much in the same way that players do in poker before placing a bet. The odds involved in buying a player would involve aspects such as what they can bring to the team, whether or not they have the right attitude, what their resale value might be in three years time etc.
It’s all about doing the maths and coming up with what they believe is the right amount to risk, just like a poker player would calculate how much they should risk on their particular hand. Wenger has an upper hand in texas holdem poker and can play the game very well.
Tactics!
Wenger is one of the masterful tacticians in the English Premier League, with him knowing exactly how to exploit may of his opponents weaknesses. Tactics are relied on heavily in poker too, with every opponent having differing strengths and weaknesses, so a good opponent will know exactly what to take advantage of and what situations to avoid when up against each and every other player.
