Arsene Wenger says he feels big clubs face an “obligation” to play entertaining football, but that not all bother to do so.
The Arsenal coach has long been associated with an aesthetically pleasing style of play – sometimes to his detriment – and has singled out other teams he believes adhere to those values.
Wenger said that the big sides like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool have all remained faithful to that ethos.
And he added that no matter how successful some clubs are, something will always be “missing” from them if they sacrifice entertainment for the sake of trophies.
In a wide ranging interview with the Arsenal Magazine, Wenger said: “I always think that the respect for the fans comes when you have the desire as a coach to give them something on a Saturday afternoon that makes them happy.
“I believe that fans should always be able to wake up on a Saturday morning and their first thought should be ‘yes, my team is playing today, it could be great’.
“I also believe that the positive idea of a football club is to have a desire for style. If big clubs don’t have that, then I think something is missing. Throughout the history of the game, the big club sides and the big national teams always had that desire.
“Whether it is Brazil, or the big teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid. And I think Arsenal has a positive reputation on that front. The big English teams – Liverpool, Man United and so on – always had that as well. It is basically an obligation for you as a coach.”
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