Monday 2 January 2017 08:32, UK
Arsene Wenger believes English managers do not get enough chances, and praised Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe for taking the one given to him.
Howe is one of only four English managers in the Premier League at present, and has helped cement Bournemouth's position in the top flight since promotion in 2015.
Wenger, whose Arsenal side go to Bournemouth on Tuesday night, says the tables have turned for English managers since he arrived in the Premier League in 1996, but insists Howe has a bright future ahead of him.
He told Sky Sports: "When I arrived, foreign managers did not get a chance because when I arrived here I was a bit lonely. Today it has gone the other way around, the English managers do not get enough chances.
"Howe is one of the counter examples, he is a young promising manager who has got his chance, and he has taken it in a club that established themselves now as a regular competitor in the Premier League.
"So he is an example for all of the young English managers that if you work well, if you work your way through with a club, you can get your chance in the Premier League.
"I think even in the Championship, let's not forget they had a remarkable season, they scored over 100 goals, you know. It's not only that they survive, but they have a style of play that is a positive style of play.
"That's why you can foresee a bright future for him."
Arsenal travel to the Vitality Stadium having lost their last two away games, against Everton and Man City in December, despite being 1-0 up in both games.
Wenger's side picked up a lot of criticism for the City defeat, particularly regarding midfielder Mesut Ozil's work rate, but the Frenchman insists he works harder than most give him credit for.
"What I would say to people, I would agree that at Man City it was not his best performance, and I think Mesut Ozil would agree as well with that.
"Apart from that you have to go a little bit above superficial analysis. The style does not always reflect the intensity and commitment of the work; Ozil is a technical player, an exceptional player, and his commitment is much bigger than people expect or judge sometimes.
"I agree that at Man City he was not at his best, but overall since the start of the season, for us he has been absolutely exceptional with his commitment, his work rate. If you analyse his work rate after the games it is quite tremendous the number of runs he makes, to go beyond the defenders. He has improved a lot.
"He scores more goals. He still doesn't convert enough of the chances he creates, at Everton for example. But he scores more.
"He has the desire to go behind the defenders, and I am sure he will find the right mixture between providing chances and scoring goals. He is on the way to achieving that, and I'm sure at the end of the season the numbers will reflect that."
Looking back on 2016 and ahead to this calendar year, Wenger challenged his side to step up to the next level in all competitions, having ended the previous year without silverware.
"I am disappointed because we finished second in the league, and we didn't win the cup that we wanted to win three times in a row.
"On top of that I am confident that the team moved a level up in 2016, but not high enough up to win the league or to be in a position to win the league.
"So we have to go up to the next level now, we qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League, we are still high up in the Premier League.
"The level is very good in the Premier League, level is very intense, difficulty in every single game."
