Arsene Wenger says that he had to change from a fiery figure on the touchline in his Monaco days to a more serene coach when he took over at Arsenal.

The 65-year-old recalls that he struggled to control his temper in his early days as a manager, having been in charge of the principality club between 1987 and 1994 after a three-year spell at Nancy.

Over his long stay in north London, the Frenchman says that he has calmed down a lot.


He told Arsenal's official website of his behaviour at Monaco: "I was an absolute firebomb, I was absolutely mad!

"You learn to express your ideas better with time, to anticipate problems better than you used to so you are not so surprised as you were when you were young. You take a bit more distance with what is happening. At a club like Arsenal, you could not exactly behave like I behaved at the start.

"I have learned to dominate my devils. I am not sure I have mellowed in my resolute attitude but, in the way I express my feelings and beliefs, certainly I have changed."

Jean Petit was Wenger's right-hand man at Monaco and feels that his old boss still has the competitive streak that makes him a top-level manager.

"He does not like wrong decisions," Petit remarked. "He just does not like losing but he has calmed down with age.

"At the start of his career in France, when things were not going well, he tended to shout and get a bit too angry but he was always measured.

"When we used to come into the office, we were always looking for things to move football forward. We didn't do anything crazy. That said, we liked to have a laugh and Arsene is a very nice and fun guy."