Argentina is the number one exporter of players in the planet, and Brazil is number two.
Some teams like Catania, in Italy’s Serie A, managed to have something like 13 players in the sir squad from Argentina.
There are many factors for this phenomenon, but in few words, value for quality, work rate, natural ability and dividends.
There are the usual ones who still believe that they can’t adapt to cold climate or minor details like that. However looking at the Russian and Ukrainian leagues, for example, they have lots of Samba stars there, wearing gloves, but playing well and scoring goals.
Strangely, some may say. Arsenal have not had many players from there, and has only made a success of the few whose personalities fitted well with Arsene Wenger’s ideals.
It sounds pretty obvious, but it not always is.
Some Managers look for great players, to come and single handedly save the team, sometimes is a defender, sometimes a striker.
But Arsene is not about individuals, he builds everything around the team. His team, Arsenal’s team.
He wants a unit, everyone singing from the same hymn sheet, all ready to die for each other on the pitch.
He normally gets it right. Many of the players he brought in from Africa or France adapted to those ideals well.
He wants them to belong to Arsenal, to be part of the history of the club.
And there is where I am sure, he knows what he wants.
People say he is slow in the market, penny pinching, tough negotiator, etc.
All that he may be, but he is more than that.
When it come to scout players, his team work the way he wants them to.
It may appear slow, because other managers, send their scouts watch a player once maybe twice, and the decision is made to make a bid or not.
Wenger doesn’t. He looks at a player as many times, as he needs to, as frustrating as it is for the fans, that is what he does.
He first looks at the ability, obviously, but then at the progress, is he a team player, can he be made into a team player, is he just individual and flashy, can he tone that down and perform for the good of the team.
And there is why he has not got a tradition of going for South American players.
People over there are friendly, but being a friend is special. People there are used to be stepped over by their own governments, by their armies, by the next door neighbour, by the shop owner, by their customer. Everyone is always trying to out do each other.
Transform that into football and they play as they live. As individuals, great players that they are, in their mind they are always distrusting for one another.
As individuals they are probably the best and most gifted players of them all, but Arsene does not care about that.
He cares about the fact that in general, South Americans are not “pack animals”, they are not team players (unless you have a few of them in one team)
He felt the need to bring players like Denilson and Edu. Good games and bad games, but Arsenal games, not “Denilson Athletic” games.
He does not get all his signings right, but nobody does. He doesn’t buy them quick, he misses a few, he discovers and moulds a few. But he is probably the most consistent of all Managers at the time to bring someone in.
Criticise the player, yes, but celebrate the way Arsene Wenger thinks about your club and what he wants to achieve there.