Former Arsenal defender Lauren said that Arsenal training sessions of the club dominated by Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp’s likes.
These “incredibly competitive” sessions were full of aggressive fights amongst the most competitive of the squad, which their coach steered clear of completely.
“There was argument after argument: Ljungberg with this guy, Keown with that guy, me with another guy. Dennis Bergkamp was a genius but he was also extremely competitive, so we won,” Lauren told The Guardian.
Indeed, Wenger would often just sit back and watch players fighting during intense intra-squad games as the French manager didn’t want to get between the most competitive stars of his squad.
“If there was a game, Wenger would say: ‘Who is the ref?’ Pat Rice, Paul Johnson, Boro Primorac … No one wanted,” Lauren said. “Wenger was clever – he got out of there, went to the corner, hid, and just watched. Pat was the bravest and he’d finished up fighting with others.”
