​Explaining the Philosophy of Arsene Wenger

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports UK.

After Arsene Wenger gave a very deep, very philosophical, very French interview to L'Equipe magazine, (translated here by Arseblog), we asked some academics what Wenger is on about and whether he's the new Socrates.

This echoes Zen Buddhist teachings, which Wenger could have picked up during his time managing Nagoya Grampus in Japan. However, Evan Thompson, a philosophy professor at the University of British Colombia, said that this idea can also be found in many other philosophies such as Ancient Greek and Roman Stoic.

For example, Marcus Aurelius (the Roman emperor who is killed at the start of Gladiator) once said: "Remember that man lives only in the present, in this fleeting instant; all the rest of his life is either past and gone, or not yet revealed." In the 11th century, Persian philosopher Omar Khayyam added: "Unborn tomorrows, and dead yesterdays, why fret about them if today be sweet? Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life."

Wenger said that Arsenal fans are now not satisfied with fourth place, despite the millions their rivals have spent. After two seasons in 15th place, however, their expectations would fall and they would be happy with fourth. Perhaps this is Mourinho's current strategy: finish 15th for two years straight in order to make 2018's league title all the sweeter.

Professor Ian Bache, the co-director of Sheffield University's Centre for Wellbeing in Public Policy, said that the idea of expectations is a central theme in happiness research and a lot of it backs up what Wenger is saying. Researchers often refer to the idea of a 'hedonic treadmill' whereby individuals adapt to improved circumstances and require further improvements to maintain the same level of happiness.

As football fans, we understand this, Bache said. Sheffield United, for example, were heading for relegation to League Two in October 2013 before Nigel Clough took over and got them to seventh place and an FA Cup semi-final. Expectations were raised the next season and a fifth-place finish and League Cup semi-final wasn't enough to stop him getting the sack. Alan Curbishley at Charlton and Nigel Adkins at Southampton are just two more examples of the many managers who have suffered similar fates.

The experts we spoke to were concerned, pointing out that quotes like this are suggestive of anxiety, perhaps caused by a perfectionist's approach to work, life and oneself.

To be happier, Wenger should stop worrying about the past and future and live in the present (something he has already alluded to). According to UCLA Psychiatry Professor Susan Smalley, studies have shown that when our minds wander to the past or future, we spend about one-third of that time thinking positive thoughts but two-thirds thinking negative or neutral thoughts.

On the other hand, Thompson says: "Regret about misdeeds can be healthy; and anxiety about the future can motivate one to prepare for it in useful ways." Apparently that anxious preparation doesn't extend to buying a back-up holding midfielder or striker though.

The way Wenger describes his role is similar to that of a "steward" in the Judaeo Christian tradition, according to Reverend Professor David Wilkinson, of Durham University's department of theology. He defined the concept of stewardship like this: "Human beings are not the creators from nothing but are given the gift of responsibility to work with the gift of creation to make it fruitful."

This suggests that Wenger sees the nurturing of young players as doing God's work, which is perhaps why he persisted with Nicklas Bendtner for so long. As late as September 2013, he insisted Bendtner could be "unstoppable". His failure to become unstoppable is also Wenger's failure to bring out the beautiful footballing talent God gave to Bendtner.

Lisa Bortolotti, a philosophy professor at the University of Birmingham, said that this observation, together with Wenger's desire to facilitate what is beautiful in others, shows that Wenger is an optimist, despite his anxieties.

This gives an insight into the mental attitude of a successful person, she says, contradicting Mourinho's "specialist in failure" jibe. "The person who succeeds is the person who does not underestimate the challenges ahead but keeps a positive focus, a sense of purpose and confidence in his capacity to achieve his goals," she said, although anyone who watched a Petr Cech-less Arsenal lose to Olympiakos and Dinamo Zagreb may not agree that Wenger does not underestimate the challenges ahead.

Professor Gary Gutting, of the University of Notre Dame's philosophy department, gave his view. "Wenger has a philosophical mind. He knows how to make conceptual distinctions, question dubious assumptions, formulate challenging ideas, and learn from self-reflection. He also has a philosophical sensibility. He recognises ethical and aesthetic ideals that he thinks provide a higher meaning – even to activities like Premier League football, driven by the desire for fame and money. I can't say whether this makes him a better football manager but it does make his talk far more challenging and edifying than anything else you're likely to find on the sports pages."

The interview suggests that Wenger is many things: an idealist, a deep-thinker, a spiritual man who loves to teach, who believes in fair play and long-term planning and who takes pride in his humble background, literally shovelling shit in a small French village.

In contradiction to this though, he is also a competitor and the Premier League's longest surviving manager. In between the philosophy, he is less Zen, using the interview to make excuses for his recent relative failures (Chelsea and City's money) and to show off that he's the only Premier League manager to go unbeaten over a full season. He may have a philosophical mind but he's not above using an interview to have a subtle dig at his rivals, polish his legacy and ensure he gets another top job if Arsenal ever sack him.

@CMJoeLo