again this Sunday as Arsenal face Manchester United in
a crucial Premier League match at Emirates Stadium.
The two managers have had a tumultuous relationship
over the years, with perhaps the most iconic display of
how much they dislike each other seen at Stamford
Bridge in 2014 when Wenger pushed Mourinho and
squared up to the Portuguese after reacting angrily to a
challenge from Gary Cahill on Alexis Sanchez.
Wenger’s frustrations rarely boil over enough that he
outwardly displays anger towards an opposition
manager, but there have been a few cases over the
years - Alan Pardew, Tony Pulis, Sam Allardyce and
Kenny Dalgish are all examples of coaches who have
rattled the Frenchman, who has no qualms in admitting
that he is a “bad loser”.
When Arsenal face United on Sunday, an under-pressure
Wenger faces a manager whom he has never beaten in
the Premier League. His only previous win against
Mourinho came in the 2015 Community Shield, with
seven draws and five defeats making up an otherwise
dismal domestic record.
But why is Wenger unable to beat a Mourinho team in
the league? The reverse fixture at Old Trafford earlier in
the season was an example of what has been all too
common over the years and would have been another
defeat if it wasn’t for a last-minute Olivier Giroud
header.
We spoke to Dr Andrew Evans, sports psychology
consultant who is Lecturer in Sport and Exercise
Psychology at the University of Salford, Manchester,
about the psychological ingredients which from the
outside and appear to give Mourinho the edge over
many rival managers, including Wenger.
He said: “There are so many factors which determine
winning or losing in football. There are coaching-
related factors, physical, tactical, nutritional factors.
Psychological factors are also part of the melting pot
determining winning or losing in football.
“There’s no reason from a psychological point of view
to suspect that Mourinho is an unlucky manager for
Wenger. That kind of statement would suggest that
Wenger would never gain success no matter what hand
he had - tactics or style or play.
“But I think one explanation why Mourinho is successful
in bigger games generally is that he appears to
demonstrate an understanding of the strengths of the
opposition and the strengths of his own team, using that
information to determine his tactics, philosophies and
psychological approach going into such big games."
Criticisms previously levelled at Wenger by fans, ex-
players and pundits include his failure to adapt
tactically in the big games, although he surprised many
with his decision to play three defenders over recent
weeks.
The confidence among Arsenal players was, by all
accounts, dented after February's disastrous 5-1
Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich and Dr
Evans explains how important it is for players to have
clear, achievable goals set to give them the best
opportunity of succeeding on the pitch.
He added: "Self-confidence is arguably the most strong
and consistent predictor of success across all sports.
It’s the most significant psychological factor which
influences success. The interventions I use with athletes
are frequently geared towards reminding them of best
performances and getting them to replicate some of
those things they did in previous successes again in
future events.
"In sports psychology research, a strong predictor of
success in team sports is when athletes have approach
goals - where they go into games with a clear focus on
what they need to do to perform well and what they need
to do better than the opposition. In sport, one of the
mistakes which managers and players can make is have
the same recipe or same fixed methods and apply them
in every single circumstance. That kind of recipe won’t
always be effective in certain matches against certain
teams."
'Mind games' are another particular set of skills which
Mourinho excels at and is something he has used to his
advantage throughout his career. However, according to
Evans it is more Mourinho's ability to adapt in different
situations which have made him so successful
throughout his career.
He said: "If you look at research on what managers say
in team talks or pre-match press conferences there is
evidence to suggest that the more reference you make
to past performance and success the greater athlete’s
confidence becomes. Past performance and success is
the main source of confidence amongst athletes and
coaches. So there would be a psychological benefit of
reminding players that they’ve been in a particular
situation before and succeeded. From a psychological
point of view, a manager who vocalises such
information to the media and his players increases their
confidence which in turn maximises a team’s
expectations and chance of success.
"Mourinho’s strength comes from his ability to adapt to
his own team’s strengths and counteract the opposition
strengths. An example is where he went to Anfield and
‘parked the bus’ while other examples show he
deployed an attacking, aggressive style such as the
reverse fixture at Old Trafford against Arsenal earlier in
the season. Mourinho’s relatively good record against
other managers is partly because he’s good at adapting
from a psychological point of view."
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