It’s nice to have a”rival” coming to town, spices up the season a bit…. Lord knows we haven’t had an important match in a while. The first match against the Devils ended with all the drama one can stand, from diving divers and knocks to the ankles to pushing, shoving and a missed penalty. It’s not like we’ve had all the drama our heart’s can take but then tuck this important match right in the middle of the quest for three trophies and ………well let’s just say it’s goood to be a Gunners fan!
ManUtd is currently in a slump unlike one they have ever seen. Rudely displaced from the Champions League by Porto, on their home pitch at that, they are beginning to see the League trophy they hold go back to the Gunners. Why did this slump occur? David Beckham is gone to Madrid? No, the Devils were playing some excellent football in the beginning of the season until the wheels came off the bandwagon with a loss to Wolves. I see it as the loss of Ferdinand more than any reason the ManUtd fans can come up with. Certainly, no one wants to blame a current player and it’s easy to hate Becks, but one can’t ignore the down turn in recent play has a time correlation with Ferdinand’s ban. In fact, the Devils had the best defense in the league until Ferdinand missed his dope test. Suddenly, they have the 4th best defensive team behind the Saints. If you look at the Man Utd scorelines you notice an increase in games where multiple goals are given away, comes right around Dec. 19th, when the FA handed down the ban on Ferdinand.
This increase in goals against has caused the benching of American Tim Howard. Fergie says it’s to help him focus mentally but a GK can usually read between the lines. He is blamed, to an extent, and he has missed some opportunities to impress. Several very long shots at goal have fooled the young keeper and dissappointed the manager. Roy Carroll will more than likely get the start. Carroll is a fully capable second keeper but I see him as only that; a Second keeper.
Lois Saha was brought in for 12 million pounds from Fulham, and was to change the offensive complexion of this Devils side. It certainly looked to be true as he scored 3 in his first two games. Then, as he describes, he has entered the worst spell of his career. Achilles problems have caused him to miss matches and when he has played, mainly against Porto, he has not impressed. He says he is ready for action. I for one hope he is not, then Diego Forlan, the Emile Heskey of Manchester, may get a start.
All kidding aside you have to respect RVN.(I’m not much of a typist and it takes to long to type the full name). He has been quiet, but he hasn’t stopped scoring. I fear what he can do by himself and hope Toure can keep his cool. I’d hate to give him the opportunity to flop on the ground and get another PK.
If there has been any slump in the offense it hasn’t been due to Scholes or Giggs. Their shooting numbers have increased this season and so has their goal tally. Both players have been assigned a striking position but seem to hang back and be most effective when surging into the 18. Scholes intensity has been through the roof, though he recently admitted (and I know this is hard for him) that the Gunners have been the best team this season.
With a match this important against an opponent this strong my biggest fear is that the media will start to consider the Gunners an easy winner and the bookies will start putting the odds on a Gunners win. The pre-match previews will harp on the downturn in ManUtd football and, and, and. Oh know, this is already happening. This type of atmosphere focuses all it’s energy on one man….Arsene Wenger. When you come right down to it he is the biggest factor in this match. Is he up for it? I won’t ever bet against him.
ArseAm Predicts: Chuck D: “Yo Griff, we goin’ out like that?” Professor Griff: “No, not on that day and time!” Arsenal win 3-1.
9 Responses to “Mancester United Preview”
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March 26th, 2004 at 10:02 am
http://manchesterunited.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=891&p=2&stid=8343084
Please look at the above.
Here is an eloquent view of the Arsenal Vs Manure debate, from a Utd ‘fan’.
Just love his comment about “the city fixture becoming so laughable”……….erm? didn’t they just take 3 points of you last week, thus stretching our lead to 12 points. Laughable? Yes, most definitely from an Arsenal point of view!
What a complete stroker….
Heres to the Gunners making that gap even bigger!!!!
March 26th, 2004 at 10:15 am
KYGunner, well written preview…
I believe United will come out like a wounded animal, as they certainly don’t want/need further embarrasment to come at the hands of Arsenal.
This should be a hard fought match, with United attempting to kick the hell out of our players!
I think it will be a tight match for a while, or until we grab a lead!!! If they have to come forward to get an equaliser, like any other team in the world playing us… they will be risk the rath of being exposed at the back by the mighty Arsenal!!!
Rio… I think the fact that once he was suspended, Man Utd. folded up like an accordian… speaks VOLUMES of what he does for their defense. Some folks don’t rate him. Well, they should. He is excellent, and this just amplifies why and what he means to their back line.
Up the Arse!
March 26th, 2004 at 11:18 am
Totally agree with you, dude.
March 26th, 2004 at 11:42 am
One thing I’m pretty sure of Man U’s game plan on Sunday - they are going to come out and kick everything in red-and-white trying to wind us up, and hope one or two Gunners would lose their cool and to break our flow… just like what they always did at the past. They are the “cheap shot experts”, leading by their Master of Cheap Shot Van Diver.
This is game is not only big, it’s HUGH!
1. If we beat them, we will break the all time unbeaten run in top flight, at the expense of… Man-yoo. That will be sweet!
2. If we beat them, the Premiership title race is not over yet, but at least it will ensure Man-yoo’s title dream is over.
3. And there is one small little matter to take care of - to make Van Diver paid for what he had done to Paddy at our last meeting.
Agree with KYG, their defence has been in big trouble since the suspension of Rio. In fact, I read from a stats book their defence has conceded more goals than any other Premiership side for the past 7 Premiership matches. We gotta take advantage of it.
Anyway, there is no other team i would love to see us beating them than Man Utd. Got get them Gunners!!
March 26th, 2004 at 11:55 am
Latest news (or rumors): Cole, Paddy, Pires, Sol all injuried…
hope that it’s only an AW’s attempt to keep his star players away from the up-coming international friendly (who’s the genius who came up with an idea to put a rather meaningless international friendly fixture in March, when most major leagues in Euro are having their domestic seasons going down the crunch time?)
March 26th, 2004 at 11:57 am
I guess you have to read the whole article. The sad bloke was honest, yes United fans are piss with Arsenal but will never see us as rivals. I dont want to start another debate but the chap was right on points.
Gone are the days when City vs United or Tottts against Us were a must see games.
March 26th, 2004 at 1:53 pm
It amuses me that “rival” pundits have nothing bad lately to say about The Arsenal, on the field or off, so they need to retread weeks old news and paste together something like the UWS article as a feeble attempt at getting people wound up. So the fans are fickle about who we hate. Who cares? When you’re wounded, apparently, you will try anything to lift your head.
Then there are the comments by various players who have had poor form larely or no pitch time about how The Arsenal will slip, that they are beatable, arrogant, and that no one is afraid, that they “can’t wait to play Arsenal!”.
Sounds like outright terror to me.
Yawwwwn.
March 26th, 2004 at 3:10 pm
Due to Manchester’s leaky rear end, I fully expect a European game where the devils sit behind the ball. I expect only counter attacking balls hit towards the wings. I also would not be surprised to see giggs on the right wing to run at Mssr Clichy. Bad idea, Clichy is a fine tackler.
Henry wakes up, Ljungberg gets a brace. 2-0
March 26th, 2004 at 4:47 pm
Scotty!
You’ve got that one right!!
Sounds like a bunch of terrified players grasping at straws… trying to will themselves into believing!