1,228 matches and seven FA Cups – Wenger at Arsenal in Opta numbers

Arsene Wenger will go down in history as one of English football’s greatest managers, despite the last few years of decline becoming a source of frustration for some Arsenal fans.

Wenger was a revolutionary following his Arsenal appointment in 1996, helping to usher a new era of hyper-professionalism into the Premier League.

While others soon caught up and Wenger appeared to run out of ideas in his latter years, the Frenchman will leave Arsenal with a highly impressive record.

Here, we assess the Opta numbers to cover a 22-year spell that means Wenger will always be remembered as one of the greats of the game.

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— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) April 20, 2018

1,228 – Wenger has taken charge of well over a thousand matches at Arsenal – and if they reach the final of the Europa League he will finish on 1,236.

7 – Wenger’s haul of seven FA Cup crowns – the most recent of which came last season against Chelsea – means he is the competition’s most successful manager.

49 – Arsenal’s Invincibles, who went the whole 2003-04 Premier League season unbeaten, were eventually defeated after 49 matches, losing to rivals Manchester United.

17 – Wenger has won 17 trophies at Arsenal. But 11 of those came in his first decade at the club, with the remainder won since 2006, demonstrating Arsenal’s recent decline.

3 – All three Premier League titles under Wenger came in his opening eight years at the club (1998, 2002, 2004). Second and fourth are his most common finishes, achieved six times apiece.

#MerciArsène pic.twitter.com/7wqOwveCfz

— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) April 20, 2018

228 – Touted as a future Arsenal manager, the Gunners’ all-time leading scorer Thierry Henry has been the most prolific player of the Wenger era with 228 goals in all competitions. Following Henry is Robin van Persie, nearly 100 behind on 132.

823 – With 823 Premier League matches under his belt, Wenger is the most experienced manager in the history of the division. Only his old rival Alex Ferguson (810) is remotely close.

10 – Wenger has a 100 per cent record against a handful of clubs, but 10 wins out of 10 against Reading makes them his most favoured opponent.

25 – By contrast, only 25 per cent of Wenger’s games against Bayern Munich resulted in wins, while Manchester United fixtures have yielded a 30.5 per cent win ratio in his tenure.

8-2 – Wenger’s worst Arsenal defeat was the infamous 8-2 loss at Old Trafford in August 2011. His widest margin of victory stands at 7-0, recorded on three occasions – against Reading, Middlesbrough and Sparta Prague.