‘Silly changes just for attention’ – Wenger’s reforms rubbished by former Liverpool player Jose Enrique

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As Arsene Wenger looks to evolve the footballing landscape, it was perhaps inevitable that he would get push back on his ideas from some quarters.

It’s worth remembering that having substitutes, the back pass rule and even numbers or sponsors on shirts were all criticised at the outset.

An overhaul of the beautiful game probably isn’t necessary, but a little tweak here and there could do wonders.

Wenger’s ideas aren’t radical by any means, and his stature in the game means that he’ll get more than a cursory ear to listen to what he has to say, but former Liverpool star, Jose Enrique, isn’t a fan.

“Oh my God. People are trying to change too much. Throw-ins have been a part of football for so long,” he said.

“Throw-ins are a threat, a genuine threat. It’s a great advantage for clubs. Some teams can really use them as a weapon, so it’s not fair to take that away.
“Obviously I respect him (Wenger) but for me, no. It’s like they want to make silly changes just for attention.
“I actually like VAR and I think it would work a lot better if they had ex-players helping in the control room. You’re still going to make mistakes but there would definitely be fewer.”

Even though he’s retired from the game, Enrique is entitled to his opinion, and it’s likely to be one that others share.

However, Wenger is savvy enough to know which battles he can win when it comes to implementation of his ideas, so it will be interesting to see which get through and actioned over the next few months.

Jose Enrique was speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes – the home of 5-A-Side.

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