Evian, broccoli and ProZone: the off-pitch revolution that left Ferguson fuming

The broccoli and Evian brigade

Wenger's revolution was not only on the pitch. Dr Yann Rougier joined as a sports scientist and, just as Tony Adams had announced himself an alcoholic, the famously dubbed “Evian broccoli” diet was introduced — lager being the habitual post-match refreshment of British football. Adams attributed his late-career transformation to Wenger's nutrition and his teetotalism. Eschewing alcohol is unremarkable among elite England players now.

Chocolate was famously banned at Arsenal but Nigel Winterburn revealed the manager's strictures were not always adhered to. “We'd wait for Arsène to walk [away], then most of the players would pile into the little kiosk and buy chocolate and eat Mars bars under the table.”

What became known as standard practice — such as using creatine to supplement diets — was then viewed with suspicion. Arsenal were the first club to sign up with ProZone, using stats to analyse performance, and Wenger employed a French osteopath, Philippe Boixel, and used the English psychologist David Elliott.

Hoddle's transformation and Ferguson's fury

Glenn Hoddle, a Wenger protégé at Monaco, had also been transformed by the holistic approach. “We were in the dark ages [in England] by comparison,” he said. “I had never had a massage or done a warm-down at Tottenham. I became more supple and I was soon fitter than ever.” When Hoddle used Rougier at the 1998 World Cup and United players came back singing the praises of his nutritional approach, Ferguson was infuriated, demanding FA investigations.

Ferguson, in charge of a dominant Manchester United team, was instinctively suspicious of the new methods challenging his success. Yet most of the interventions nowadays would be regarded as standard. There aren't many innovations in modern English football not pioneered by Wenger and, in that respect, his influence is greater than even Ferguson's, even if his silverware never measured up to the Scot's achievements.

Only when the prizefighters had laid down their gloves was Ferguson able to articulate his appreciation. “Arsène is, without doubt, one of the greatest Premier League managers and I am proud to have been a rival, a colleague and a friend to such a great man,” he said when Wenger left Arsenal. By then Wenger's French revolution had become common practice; he was a victim of his own success, his competitive edge dulled.