Tidjane Thiam Offers Football Tips
Credit Suisse boss Tidjane Thiam has once again referenced his beloved football team, Arsenal – as well as taken a dig at embattled club manager Arsène Wenger.
When Tidjane Thiam took the helm at Credit Suisse in 2015, he quickly established himself as a fan of management aphorisms lent from the sports world. «You can only win as a team», was one of his sayings. Or: «He who acts in haste pays the price sooner or later.»
His penchant for sporting comparisons hasn’t deserted him, as evidenced by his remarks at a conference in London where he compared himself with the long-time Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger.
The comparison came at the expense of Wenger: «I would describe myself as a paranoid optimist. Or put more simply: the anti-Wenger for those who follow football», Thiam described his philosophy as an investor, according to «Business Insider».
Gunners Fan
What the Credit Suisse boss meant was while he makes provisions for potential setbacks, he views the Arsenal manager as simply an optimist without a plan B, and someone who is confused when things go wrong. Thiam is an Arsenal fan and season ticket holder, but someone who hasn’t attended a match since 2011.
Wenger, who has managed the London club since 1996, last won the Premier League in 2004. More recently, he has come under fire for his relative lack of success. «He still believes you can win games with inexperienced 19-year-old midfielders, but without defenders and forwards», Thiam said.
Thiam noted how he had once tried to explain successful football to Wenger. «I told him that in football you have to score more goals than you concede.» A team without a good defense will ship one or two goals per game. Thus you can only win if you score more than two goals per game.»
Wenger Irked
«How often does a team score more than two goals per game in a season? Not often enough to win the league», Thiam replied to his own question. Thiam took the opportunity in 2009 to tell Wenger he would never win the league again.
«That really annoyed him. We are now in 2018 - nine years later - and my prophecy still holds.» Whether Wenger was more annoyed by Thiam’s prediction or his lecture on football is not known.
Solid Defending
After his foray onto the football pitch and his advice to Wenger, who has won more than a dozen titles in his career, Thiam returned to the themes of banking and the economy.
He remains optimistic on the outlook for the global economy, although there are naturally problems, in Syria, North Korea and with populism in Europe.
«Long term I remain very positive on developments, but one still needs a good defense.»
