Alan Pardew has labelled Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger “one of the great managers” ahead of the London derby at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
The pair had their first altercation in 2006 when the Crystal Palace boss was in charge of West Ham United, and they hadn’t always seen eye-to-eye in subsequent years.
Wenger reacted unfavourably to Pardew celebrating a last-gasp winner against the Gunners, and the Frenchman has since been castigated by Pardew for not promoting enough English players.
But Pardew, 54, has no problem with the league’s longest-serving manager, and has instead lauded his achievements within the game.
“On the touchline we all have run-ins – we’ve both been in this game a long time,” Pardew said, as quoted by Western Morning News.
“In my opinion he is one of the great managers, absolutely. I don’t think we’d ever seen the type of football played in the Premier League before Arsene.
“He definitely educated coaches and managers in this country on the beauty of possession.
“He’s a very brave manager to play the way he does week in week out and stick to the principles he has.
“Of course, at the level he’s at, winning is of paramount importance.
“In the last couple of years he’s been under pressure. Those FA Cup wins (2014 and 2015) have cemented his position, and given him the chance to win the league this year.”
The Eagles got their league campaign off to a flying start last weekend as they emerged victorious against newly-promoted Norwich City.
With Arsenal beginning with a whimper against Pardew’s former club West Ham, the south London outfit will be brimming with confidence going into Sunday.
“It makes a different kind of statement about this season if we beat them,” Pardew added.
“We need to play our game. Our performance at Norwich was below our best.
“We were still very good at times and that’s what we can do – we’re very good at moments in the game and some of those moments can put us in the driving seat.
“We want more control this year of games and that will be something that will be interesting for our fans and for the media to see – whether we can wrestle control from teams like Arsenal.”
