Nov 03
Arsenal vs Man Utd: Preview
A very good morning to you all, depending on where you are reading this from. Today, Arsenal host Man Utd at the Emirates Stadium in a lunch time kick off. I know, this lunch time thing is not quite so popular with many fans in the UK. But again, with a game like this there wouldn’t be too many complaints. The atmosphere would be as intense as it has always been.
Then again, depending on which part of the world you are the timing would be either perfect or would be downright uncomfortable.
We stop digressing and move on to the main topic of the day, which is Football Manager 2008 the Arsenal game.
The press has been salivating over this encounter and so are we. Personally, there is this tinge of excitement about the game mixed with fear that arises over a certain degree of grudging respect for the opposition. The press, meanwhile, has talked at length about the Keane-Viera encounters of the past, and depending on the bias on the part of a journalist, you will have got a certain picture about the game.
Arsene Wenger says that this game will be a masterpiece. We all do hope for such a masterpiece, with the difference that we will emerge triumphant at the end.
SAF termed it a “mouthwatering prospect” while saying a few words about the importance of winning things at the end of the day:
“In a few years’ time I want to be saying that my players are the best in the world because at this moment in time they are showing those signs,” said Ferguson. “But maturity brings the authority and consistency, and what is also important is what have they won?”
Very true indeed. While we talk a lot about Arsenal’s kids, it remains to be seen if they can win it with what they have, so far. If they do, then fair play to them. The same applies to us, despite us winning the title last season. That hunger to win things is what has driven both managers to such long term tenures at their respective clubs.
Anyway, on to the players who’ll make today’s game, Wenger hinted that Gilberto might actually make the starting XI against United. His appearance in their Carling Cup stroll over Sheffield United might have been an opportunity to give the Brazilian a run out. I suppose, Wenger would prefer to play his experience over Flamini. It must also be noted that if we play Anderson, Gilberto has had a close look at the lad when they went for their Copa America tournament in the summer.
Moving on to our squad, Carrick and Saha (surprise, surprise!) have been included. Whilst, it is unlikely that Saha would start, Carrick’s situation represents a dilemma for the boss. The player does offer a fair bit to the team by keeping things simple. Ball retention is vital in such games. But Anderson has seemed to be the more penetrative one — who, in the presence of Hargreaves, has been allowed to roam freely sending his pin point passes. Playing Anderson would be a bold move, something I would applaud the boss for doing. But if he decided to play Carrick, I wouldn’t be too worried.
My main worry would be if he chucked the 4-4-2 formation in favour of a three man midfield that would leave one striker upfront on his own. That would mean a very cagey approach by us. I would love it if the team remained the same as the last one.
Don Howe, who is an Arsenal fan, writes in the Telegraph on tactics and training and makes for an interesting read.
Vidic is fully focused ahead of the game and has vowed to ensure a clean sheet. Getting that against a rampant Arsenal side would represent a psychological victory for the defence. Our defenders were guilty, in the last couple of games, of conceding goals that were borne out of some basic defending errors. I put that down to them not being as intense as they were at the start (when goals were hard to come by) and seemed rather confident that our attack would overhaul any deficit. This kind of an attitude, though, would be suicidal today.
For more match related details, the BBC has a comprehensive preview here.
Meanwhile Owen Hargreaves thinks that he needs to take good care of his knee so that his problems do no resurface.
The game promises to be a cracker and I will certainly be up for this one. Here’s hoping we thump them at their backyard, after their sickening double over us last year.
Come on you reds!!! Bring on Arsenal!
Prediction: 2-1 to United, Rooney, Tevez to score.
Feel free to discuss away before, during and after the game. I may or may not update the title of this post. Depending on how engrossed in the game I will be.
- Man Utd v Everton: Preview
- Man Utd v Tottenham: Preview
- Rooney Out For A Month
- Derby County v Man Utd: Preview
- Sporting Lisbon vs Man Utd - Preview
Tags: Game Preview
November 3rd, 2007 at 10:53
Oh shit im dam nervous.
November 3rd, 2007 at 10:56
I can’t wait!
This is one of the games that would mark an early lead for us, which could be crucial
considering Aresnal’s current form.
This is the game we have to win.
I’m pleased they don’t have Persie, their attack lost a big edge without him.
Carrick or Anderson?
For me it’s not a dilemma. 2 reasons, Carrick just got back from an injury,
Anderson has been doing a great job. Exprience wise there is a gap, but I think he has the ablity
to match it.
Plus Hargreaves will provide him a solid cover,
so Anderson can concentrate on his fast passing game.
November 3rd, 2007 at 11:20
You will be one really sad twat after the game.
2-1 to yanited tongue-in-cheek. U know the real score. Minimum 3 points and 3 goals for the Gunners.
November 3rd, 2007 at 11:21
its time for revenge and i am already sitting in red colors waiting for it to start
come on fergies lads its time to kick some “arse”nal:)
November 3rd, 2007 at 11:27
Todays lunchtime clash will be very breathtaking because this is the season meant for Arsenal and indeed they are out to prove that they are not joking and if anything they are taking more than one trophy home.
The game will be very very intense but at the end Arsenal will definitly win.Arsenal’s defense should not at any time blunder coz you might not know what may happen.
November 3rd, 2007 at 11:35
SSSSSSSSSSSsorry my hands are shaking as I post this comment.Ooouch am so nervous.
I pray that we separate the men from the boys today.
Go man U go.
Is Anderson starting?
November 3rd, 2007 at 11:38
Arsenal 2 Manchester U. 1.
You get that?
November 3rd, 2007 at 11:45
I’m looking forward to great game, it could go either way. The first goal will be really important……lets hope the team in red gets it!!!!! (yes I do mean Arsenal)
November 3rd, 2007 at 12:13
hey guys, wots a good website to watch the game online plz!!!
November 3rd, 2007 at 12:26
Revenge? No chance muppets! You’re nervous and rightly so - Arsenal fans are NOT NERVOUS AT ALL!!!!!! We are confident because we know that our team can outplay anyone plus we’re at home plus your new kids just don’t have the requisite experience plus we are on fire plus we had you twice last season plus you are scared. End of. We win … and believe me you will be HUMILIATED.
COME ON THE ARSENAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 3rd, 2007 at 12:31
Marvelous, I love this. When was the last time you saw Manure- players and supporters alike quacking in their boots? All these glib claims are symptoms of nervousness which means that Arsenal is a respected team. Something that could have been said 6 months ago. Just love it!
November 3rd, 2007 at 12:48
It’ll be a tough match on the 2 defenses this afternoon… 2 flamboyant attacks. I’m sure, we’ll have the edge with Ronaldo and Rooney in topform and Vidic and Rio on full concentration well protected by Hargo.
To me this looks like a 3-1 win with Vidic, Rooney and Ronaldo baggin’.
November 3rd, 2007 at 12:56
Early Unconfirmed team news:
VDS
Brown
Rio
Vidic
Evra
Ronaldo
Anderson
Hargo
Giggs
Tevez
Rooney
Bench: Saha, Carrick, Nani, OShea, PiG
Looks like SAF is going for the aggressive option. Let us hope the old maxim “fortune favours the bold” stands today.
November 3rd, 2007 at 13:11
#5, http://www.fsicrew.info/streams.html and http://www.myp2p.eu are both good.
November 3rd, 2007 at 13:23
confirmed team:Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Anderson, Hargreaves, Giggs, Rooney, Tevez. Roo, Tez and Ronnie to score for United; Hleb for ARSEnal; United will win 3-1. Come on u reds!!!
November 3rd, 2007 at 13:24
I predict a 4-0, the 4 goals have to go on!
November 3rd, 2007 at 13:31
Agree. It would be such a bad thing to stop this tradition.
November 3rd, 2007 at 14:36
rooney goal.1-0the goal video is here
http://www.in-direct.info/videos/video.php?id=244
November 3rd, 2007 at 14:40
rooney on hot form
November 3rd, 2007 at 14:40
1-0! Either Gallas or Rooney scored. Who cares anyway. Let’s keep this score and carry home all 3 points!
November 3rd, 2007 at 14:41
I dont think United is playing their game even with the attacking lineup…It seems like we are managed by Benitez…they are playing airballs to Tevez and rooney who are against Gallas and toure…hope they take inspiration from the goal and come and play the united way in d second half..
November 3rd, 2007 at 14:45
I’ve very rarely seen us outplay Arsenal in a pure footballing sense in the Wenger era. So far we followed tried and tested methods, tactical disicipline, hard work, biting tackles and relying on individual quality to carve out a handful of chances. Lets just hope we can hold firm for the next 45 mins + injury time.
November 3rd, 2007 at 14:50
I cannot believe that they would give that as an own goal to Gallas. Yes he deflected it but it was so close to goal that Rooney should get it.
November 3rd, 2007 at 14:56
1-1 arsenal
November 3rd, 2007 at 14:57
Well who’s going to argue with me this time about Evra? He leaves Sagna completely alone on the right and we give up a goal.
November 3rd, 2007 at 15:30
so what was u sayin bout evra grognard?
November 3rd, 2007 at 15:30
Well who’s going to argue with me this time about Evra? He leaves Sagna completely alone on the left and we get a goal.
November 3rd, 2007 at 15:31
2-1 ronaldo
November 3rd, 2007 at 15:33
Call me fickle but both Evra and Saha just got out of my dog house. Two great passes to spring Ronaldo for a sweet goal. Evra, all is forgiven…….for now.
November 3rd, 2007 at 15:34
this is gonna be the longest 5 minutes of our lives
ps. its a shame i cant watch the match since my stream isnt working but what the heck thats what MoTD is for
November 3rd, 2007 at 15:39
NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
November 3rd, 2007 at 15:41
Damn it to hell!!
November 3rd, 2007 at 15:42
oh my gosh what a sh*t load of F*ck
November 3rd, 2007 at 15:47
The game was never matching upto the expectations..Where is the champagne football we saw from both the teams??..a moment of brilliance made uniteds second goal…otherwise all the other 3 were scrappy goals..It is unlucky to have the result depending on the position we were in….but the way the game was played i think this is a fair result…No team was able to dominate for even a period of 3 minutes
November 3rd, 2007 at 15:49
[Shyam]
That’s how it usually happens in such fixtures. One mistake, one moment of brilliance.
We did see 4 goals in this game, though.
Just terribly gutted that we couldn’t defend for 3 minutes.
November 3rd, 2007 at 15:54
We should have managed to hold on.
This game won’t make or break our season but it would have been nice with a 2-1 win at Emirates under our belt. What a kick in the balls.
November 3rd, 2007 at 15:54
Man..I was exhausted when i saw the match. 90 minutes went by damn fast.
It’s an unbelievable match.. but i just wished man u could have won it though.
but anyways.. the match was awesome.. This match itself will overshadow any
other fixture for this weekend. I’m sure of that!
November 3rd, 2007 at 15:57
Jesus fxxxing christ..
Overall performance, I would say a draw is acceptable.
But come on! 2 minutes to go and the defence is just crumbling down.
And Tevez had a bad day, he is still developing his partnership so I don’t want to blame him
too much. But Ronaldo was just not consistent enough. He contributed to 2 goals, brilliant but I
was surprised that he couldn’t hold the ball, kept on disappearing.
I got high expectations for Ronaldo, he can do better in matches like
this.
Rooney as all ways does his job.
Rooney and Anderson were great. Anderson’s passing game was not what I expected but at least he
took responsiblity for the balls that went past him, tracked down, defended well.
November 3rd, 2007 at 16:03
we lost it, i dont know wot to say, but we just lost it, i was upset with anderson today, the overexagerating and play acting should be stamped out soon, rooney did really well he just kept going at it, giggsy, had his moments off brilliance, in the end the draw imo as good enough, though the winwould be better, left a sour taste in my mouth
November 3rd, 2007 at 16:05
robbed. . goddamn robbed
all we get to hear now is that arsenal has matured and that they claim the victory. . but in reality they dropped points in two consecutive games. .
November 3rd, 2007 at 16:08
I forgot to write, Hargreaves defending and passing was.. bad. Anderson did more defending than him
in my eyes.
November 3rd, 2007 at 16:10
i am now completely pissed off and that has ruined my weekend
however if it were arsenal who were in the lead and we scored in the last minute then we all be much more upbeat and saying things like ‘that was a great result’ but i suppose it is just cause we were in the lead that we r all down
November 3rd, 2007 at 16:29
What a load of shite. I cannot believe our supposed rock hard defense would give up such calamitous goal. What on Earth was that last goal? It looked a pinball game. All because we sat back and tried to soak up pressure from ten men while our center backs were made to look like idiots on both goals. Also, the clearing was just terrible under that pressure. I must say that what disturbs me the most is our inability to protect not just one, but two leads.
OBSERVATIONS:
1. Why was Fabregas given so much room to operate in. He was shut down well for the first twenty minutes and then I noticed that he was given more freedom to distribute passes.
2. We looked weak defensively any time their fullbacks overlapped. Their first goal was scored because of that.
3. Once again Edwin Van Der Saar fails to make the big saves when it counts. The only time he makes a save is when the ball is shot right at him. He’s not to blame for the first and in fairness, he did make a save during the shooting gallery that was the second, but in the end he and the entire team were found wanting defensively.
4. Where was the calm poise of our defense in those last five minutes? All I saw was panic. For all his effort, poor John O’Shea looked poor in thefew minutes that he played. He was beaten on the goal as well as having given a gimme attempt to Eduardo that he ballooned over goal.
5. I was concerned from the beginning about United’s sagging zone defense. Anytime you allow a team like Arsenal 3/4 of the pitch to freely pass and run with the ball you are asking for trouble. At no time in the game did we ever press them in their own end.
6. Saha made a great pass to free Evra for the goal but even so, I think the substitution I would have made was to bring in the dynamic and very brave Nani. Giggs looked efficient out there but he looked slow and lacked the cutting pace of old to really threaten their defense.
7. Ronaldo looked asleep for the first 40 miutes of the game but fortunately he woke up.
8. The referees called far too many fouls on small incidental contact. To the officials I say PLEASE PLEASE, LET THE LADS PLAY. It’s the marquee matchup of the season and they are officiating the match like it’s a game of American touch football.
9. The defending on Arsenal’s first goal was comical. Evra allowed Sagna to overlap and have too much space. Vidic was pulled out of position to cover fro Evra on the wing and Ferdinand who I’ve been picking on of late for mental lapses made his biggest of the season. Rather than pick up Fabregas inthe box he rushes to the goal line to play goal. WHY? It wasn’t a corner. Take your man in the box. Make sure everybody is covered. Leave the goalkeeping to the out of position EVDS.
10. Whenever Arsenal won a ball and cleared it in their own end, it always seemed to find a wide open Fabregas who could then start the Arsenal attack. Not enough pressure in their end allowed them to clear balls with relative ease. Hargreaves was not given the role to stick to Fabregas, but to cover a zone. Well Arsenal’s two goals were scored because they flooded the zones with multiple players. Wenger, altered his tactics but Fergie stuck with his. He almost lucked one out.
11. The second Arsenal goal was an absolute heart breaker but they earned for attacking in force. Ronaldo is most to blame for not covering Clichy’s cross. Once again Ferdinand was caught napping at the near post as he could have and in my opinion SHOULD have cleared that ball before it got through.
11. Other than a loss my worst fears were realized. Fergie fell into Wengers tactical trap and it’s only our strong counterattacking that gave us a draw. Did we deserve to win? On effort yes, on style no. Why do we allow teams on the road to dictate the style of play.
12. We didn’t pressure or run at their defenders. When we attacked we never penetrated, but we did pass the ball well. Our two goals came from counterattacks and strong play on the wing. We should have had more of theat overlapping stuff.
November 3rd, 2007 at 16:30
man we led twice and blew it away shit hell
But then there was no difference in the two teams absolutely nothing
just one observation in couple of games i feel wes brown is not doing good in passing balls in the box and we need neville back soon
Anderson-man to look out for
Kiddo is looking better and better
and yes Johan i feel the same about Ronaldo he was lil less active today but then so was every1 else on the pitch no one had a time to shine much so he gets benefit of doubt
overall just as joninjapan we were robbed ……TWICE:(
November 3rd, 2007 at 16:39
Grognard: I will come back in full to you later but blaming VDS stinks of your own personnel dislike of him that you have shown in the past. He made a superb stop in the build up for the first, stopped the Gallas header in the first half and pray tell what more exactly was he meant to do to stop the second (he actually made two saves during that period). But by the looks of the rest of your comments it looks like you have reverted to your pessimistic, negative mode after the first sign of a slight set back. I will be back with an analysis after I have left time for the game settle in and I can give a reasonable assessment of it.
November 3rd, 2007 at 16:39
Now for my POSITIVE take on the match. And it will be brief…..for me.
1. The two goals were well taken and the second was a work of art. Nice pass by Sha to free Evra who cut it back to Ronaldo beautifully. The first was a nice run and low cross from Ronaldo and Rooney did well to redirect it.
2. Anderson looked comfortable out there and for me was the man of the match in the first thirty minutes. He tracked back well too but his over eager attempt to defend and win balls created a few free kicks that could have cost us.
3. Tevez played well and his pass distribution was excellent. Too bad our tactical setup was not designed to give him too many cracks at goal.
Sorry but that’s it. A game we should have won but in all honesty barely deserved to draw. Arsenal were the more enterprising side and their hard work rewarded them, or should I say got them of the hook at the end. Although we never played terribly and worked two strong goals at the Emirates, our defending was terrible when it counted the most. Arsenal had too many open cracks at goal. Eduardo, Gallas, Rosicky, Hleb and Fabregas all had great chances that they blew. The only chances we created other than the two goals was Rooney’s awful header and a Giggs shot from 25 yards that was high. That was it. Three points flushed down the toilet.
November 3rd, 2007 at 16:43
Ronaldo didn’t get enough balls.We played very tactically.
we played the perfect counter attacking game.Yes,the last goal was
very very dissapointing,but i knew it from the minute we scored the
2nd goal.
November 3rd, 2007 at 16:52
i am heartbroken..atleast its not as bad as our last visit to the emirates.objectively speaking..a point at the emirates is a good result..i am sure all of us would have taken it in the beginning.the team is looking good,some better defending will help,but we are strong enough to win the league.
November 3rd, 2007 at 16:55
JB; I don’t dislike EVDS. I just think that when a big save is needed he doesn’t deliver. Is he to blame for the two goals, NO, but still, I can’t help but feel that positioning is everything and that he is either getting to old or he has really bad luck. Either way, it’s time for a change.
And I’m so frakken sorry for being pescimistic over a shite performance. If there is anything I abhor it’s defenders sleeping at the wheel and managers that get out managed by the opposition. Fergie fell into Wenger’s trap and our lads almost made him come out smelling and looking a prince. Our defending in our box was CRAP.
That said, we got a positive result and never lost ground. What we and Arsenal accomplished on this day was to let Chelski back in to the race. All week I was bitching about Ferguson not falling for the exact tactics he fell for today. That is why I’m angry. I have a right to be. I’m a fan who expects more from his team of all stars. I won’t settle for rubbish.
We are a great side but there are moments when we just lose it. Today we were lucky to come out of there with a tie. On paper it’s a great result, but we all know better, don’t we?
To Fergie I say give up on that useless zone defense that only invites trouble. We have terriers like Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo, Hargreaves, Anderson and Nani who always run and run and run. Set them lose and have them win games because of a press. Force the opposition to cough up the ball in their own end rather than giving them a free pass to our final third of the pitch.
And as for reverting to my pessimistic ways, that’s an incredibly unfair and restrictive comment on your part JB. I wasn’t under the impression that I was on a short leash and that my comments were being censored. So if I’m negative does that mean I am mud in your eyes and locked in your dog house? Sorry but I don’t find it comforting to have to walk on glass. I call a game as I see it. If I’m positive I’m ok but as soon as I rock the boat a bit I get thrown overboard. Now that’s democracy.
November 3rd, 2007 at 16:57
Damn that really hurt. A draw was the fair result and its not that bad considering we were playing away. It is scary when the only cover we have for our fullbacks is Oshea who is a decent all round player but was certainly found wanting last week and also this week.
So we have 2 of the so called big 4.One win at home to the russians and a point away from home. Its not all doom and gloom, on the contrary Carrick and Saha are back and Neville just had a game in the reserves.
I have to admit that Hargo did not look as imposing as I expected him to be, hopefully that will come with game time under his belt.
November 3rd, 2007 at 17:42
Well it should have been a win , however the defense had other thoughts.I thought United played very well , as fergie knew that the guys would definetly score in counter attack.
Positives:
Rooney Anderson Giggs are all big match players , no doubt about that.Saha showed what he can do in such a less time.This guy if he plays for more than half the season the goal scoring will even double.
Cons:Ferdinand was not upto par. He and VDS surely should have saved the second goal . More attacking role should be given to Evra like Clichy. This guy might make mistakes in defense , but he has capacity to cause serious damage in EPL.Giggs was awesome but the age refelected in second half , Nani should have come in instead of him
The Defense will take a HUGE BEATING FROM FERGIE . WE Should have WON but HEY we have 4 points so far against the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal….
GREAT FUTURE LIES AHEAD:
UTD has so far played 7 away matches out of 13
ARSE on the other hand 4 away matches out of 12
WE have also already faced most of toughest away fixtures like Villa Everton Pompey City and Arsenal . If we can repeat what we did last season in chelsea and liverpool away ,and win against newcastle i think we have nothing to worry abt….
Grognard i seriously can understand ur views , i can clearly visualize how AWESOME united can play
with the talent we have BUT HEY I would definetly say we are in driver seat because of a lot of factors :
we have played important away matches.
the team has already molded quickly even though 4 new guys have come in and have been asked to start immediately.
The Most important factor is we have got important points when the Injury Cycle was at the MAX in the beginning of the season itself . Can u imagine arsenal playing without likes Of RVP adebayor toure eboue hleb etc. if they face injury AND REMEMBER AFRICAN NATIONS CUP !
So Nothing to worry abt guys , we should have won but hey last season we were the champions even when we lost to arsenal twice and drew against chelsea
November 3rd, 2007 at 18:22
Rick; Your points are well taken. One thing that you are definitely emphasizing is that the EPL is not a one match go for glory competition. It’s a marathon race and teams have to pace themselves accordingly. On that basis perhaps Fergie’s gameplan was correct but I still don’t like our very saggy zone defense and our defense is starting to show major cracks. I think Rio is either hurting or he is just tired. Either way, he should sit out a match. Evra is fine when he moves forward and sends in low psses or cuts them back but he is a horrible crosser of the ball. His one attempt today went into the cheap seats. What we need is Neville. We need to be able to attack with overlapping runs from both sides, not just the left. We also need our central midfielders to move in to positions where they can take more shots. Right now defenders are not fearing either Anderson, Hargreaves, Scholes (when healthy) or Carrick when it comes to teeing one up form under 20 yards.
November 3rd, 2007 at 18:24
Just a quick mention of Wes browns postioning for the first goal, completely caught ball watching. Haregreaves early booking hurt, as he was much more confined. Thought Anderson was sensational and i think he will become a far superior player to cesc(big statement yes, but he really impressed). Suprised about nanis lack of involvemnt, but really happy to see saha back in action. Finally i thought defensively both our wings looked vulnerable against Arsenals wingers, Evra nd Brown for me had a bad day defensively(Brown not so much). Ronaldo once again missing for LONG periods of time in big games…
November 3rd, 2007 at 19:20
Does anybody know of a site where I can see the highlights? I couldn’t see it here in the states. Thanks.
November 3rd, 2007 at 19:44
I didn’t see the game but was following it on my phone with live commentary and have since seen the highlights. I was over the moon when Ronny scored and didn’t check again until the end and was completely heartbroken when it said Gallas had scored. It was a major downer for the rest of the day but looking back I suppose it’s a pretty good result all things considered.
November 3rd, 2007 at 19:45
There seems to be an unrealistic expectation and possibly even ungratefulness around some elements of the United support. Some seem to believe we can just waltz into any team’s back yard and play them off the park but that is not always possible. There are times when the head must rule over the heart. Our style of attack is a quick and incisive; when we go on the attack we often look for the killer blow within 5 passes. However if the opposition is defending well/we aren’t at our best it can mean possession is turned over quite frequently. This is not an issue against most teams as we can regain possession without much bother. Arsenal are not one of those teams as they can easily starve you of possession for long periods, therefore it necessitated a tactical change in SAF’s eyes. Also given their ability on the ball in tight situations, a man marking system high up the pitch is extremely difficult to implement against Arsenal. Therefore we throw up a solid black wall up infront of our box and invite Arsenal to try and pick the lock.
Did it work? Yes. Arsenal created one chance of note in the first chance in the first half, a set piece. In the second half, presumably buoyed be the goal the lads decided to go for the throat and started pushing high up the pitch. In their eagerness to press Anderson and Hargreaves moved far away from the backline for the first time in the match and lo and behold, Arsenal mange to pick the lock.
First goal itself, was Evra out of position? No, he was closely marking Sagna, who managed to do well to get the ball to Fabregas. On Rio, did he have a lapse in concentration? No, he followed standard procedure, when you are the close man to goal and your keeper has been forced out of position, get on the line to cover until the situation has stabilised. Want a scapegoat for the goal, Hargreaves let his man go and Wes was standing gawping when he could have been over covering Fabregas.
Second goal, a long cross, a few ricochets, havoc in the defence and we let one in. Unfortunate but it happens, how anyone can blame VDS is beyond me. But the type of goal is important. We had repulsed the ‘Best Team in the World’ (Trademark of the Sky Corporation) beautiful, wonderful passing game and they had resorted to hurling long balls into the box.
Yes the late defending was shoddy but the tactics were sound (I have seen poster on Arsenal Mania and RedandWhiteKop comment on how SAF had won the tactical battle) and were 90 seconds away from producing a really good professional hard earned win. Of course I prefer free flowing football but I can appreciate the value of doing a job on someone.
This is a good result as long as it isn’t allowed to dent the players confidence significantly. A good result against Kiev and Blackburn are now required to ensure that we quickly get back on the right track and keep a high level of pressure on Arsenal.
November 3rd, 2007 at 19:51
United were better than arse-anal. Good performance, cant doubt it under the circumstances. I still see some of our self proclaimed lousy supporters moaning.. But hey then they wont be what they are-…Elaboration on other times.
November 3rd, 2007 at 19:56
Well said JB and I agree with parts of your assessment, Grognard, but not a lot of it I am afraid.
Plenty of thoughts on the game on what could have been, and a lot more of that. Will let all this sink in and get out a match report in.
At the moment, still terribly gutted at the late, late goal so will collect my thoughts and get back with a match report tomorrow.
Cheers.
November 3rd, 2007 at 19:58
Grognard u r bang on target .. The person we miss most is Neville . He may be slow , but his crosses are always bang on target . Well Rio is good but the mistakes by LB or RB gets badly reflected on him.I also agree to the part where anderson and hargo have to take few shots on goal.However it is still shocking as well as amazing to see that arsenal is the only top 50 team where CB`s have a major role in offense and in FIELD GOALS ! I think the jinx is soon going to be back on them . Their entire build up play today was setting up goals for Fabgas . I am happy that we r not in such a position where we are dependent on one guy ALONE to score goals !(lfools Gerrard :P)
May be i m the .1% utd fan who supports Saha
. He is just like Rooney . When there is a big match , his performance is invaluable. Today , Tevez was totally out of the picture . Saha`s Chest control , headers , off the pitch runs shows him as a classic unique centre forward . He is similar to Berbatov .He seems to create his own goal.The one against chelseas reading , this season also he scored a important header , getting us 3 valuable points. I still think if this guy can stay injury free , he will create and score a hell lot of goals. (I hope we donot get any news saying “Saha gets injured ,while getting on bus:P )
Well i seriously cant understand one thing Euphoria amongst the various arsenal supporters and bloggers . I do congratulate them on their excellent , marvellous performance . But it is JUST 12 MATCHES FOR CHRIST` SAKE. And the lead is just 3 points ! WE all know how bad things will get messed up in month of April and i guess in that time the next round of top3 comes for them , liverpool , chelsea & UTd away.
I must admit , i m still over the cloud
becos no other team other than utd can manage winning with such high margin considering the inform guys of last season , the likes of Ronaldo ROoney Saha Carrick Scholes (THAT IS VIRTUALLY FRONT 6) being absent most of the matches till now in rotation as well as the 4 new guys replacing them to their capacity !
November 3rd, 2007 at 20:11
Cheers Redranter, I sometimes feel there is about to be a mass suicide every time we so much as drop a point!
Rick: The reason Anderson and Hargreaves weren’t getting shots in was tactical, SAF in recent years as kept the CM pretty tight to the backline to try and cut down on the room Arsenal need to play their way through.
Agree on Saha, in hindsight he may have been the better choice today. Given that we were playing quite deep his presence would have meant more balls would have stuck when they were cleared up the field. But I wouldn’t have liked to have to make the call to break up the Tevez/Rooney partnership before the game for the man of glass.
November 3rd, 2007 at 20:17
And for those of you who missed the game, here’s a repeat telecast going on. Windows media streaming.
Hurry, 10 minutes into the first half as I type this CLICK
November 3rd, 2007 at 20:20
JB agree to the part where Hargo and Anderson weren’t getting shots for tatical reasons . However i would like them to have a shot once in a while , especially anderson , he seems to enter excellent attacking positions , it is just a matter of time we see him score.
November 3rd, 2007 at 20:36
I’m pleased everyone seems to be on the same wavelength as me regarding Saha. I think he is an undervalued part of the side and we definitely need to include him in more first team opportunities before he looks elsewhere for games.
I’d also like to see Anderson getting more shots away, but I see where you are coming from about SAF’s tactics. He certainly looks very promising. As for Hargreaves, well isn’t Fergie of the opinion that midfielders like him have actually had a better game if they don’t see much of the ball? Or did he just mean Carrick when he said that?
November 3rd, 2007 at 21:08
JB; It’s not about dropping points. It’s about not taking the foot off the throttle and never compromising your standards. I for one do not believe that playing a defensive game against an outstanding offense is the best strategy. Attack an arrogant outfit like Arsenal. Put pressure on them like they are not accustomed to. Liverpool had a great chance to do that at Anfield and Benitez out thought himself. You talk about Arsenal’s possession game, well what about ours. Personally, I think they had a lot more to worry from us than we did from them. Take Fabregas out of their side and I seriously doubt that they will operate like a well oiled machine. None of their other attackers are in the same league with Rooney, Tevez, Ronaldo and Saha on a good day.
The problem I have and why it seems like I am overreacting every time we drop points is that four years ago Arsenal set and established a high bar of excellence. They went undefeated. Three years ago Chelsea only lost one match. The standards are different than ten years ago. Today you cannot expect to lose 5-7 games a season and still win the EPL unless you have few draws and the rest are victories. That’s what happened to us last year. You must play your “A GAME” every weekend or you will lose ground. Look at Chelski. They were off to a terrible start and now they are three points behind. Why? Because both leaders let them get closer.
Fergie’s tactics lacked ambition and lacked courage. They showed far too much respect for a very good albeit very inexperienced team. I firmly believe that Arsenal would crumble against an all out attack. Their back four are very good but suspect in the air and on wide balls sent in to the box (so how did we score our two goals?) their midfielders do not like contact and do not defend that well. We missed an opportunity to make a statement of pride and declaration.
Sure the result is not terrible and I guess I’ll delay cutting my wrists this week but lets put this game in it’s proper perspective. It was an early season over-hyped game that probably doesn’t really matter in the overall scheme of things. Unless of course we end up losing the title by one point. Who this game was very important to was Manchester United and it’s supporters. It’s not about the points. It’s about the pride and ego from beating your top rival in their barn. It’s about bragging rights. We almost pulled it off despite our negative tactics, but in the end those tactics and our lack of solid and quality defending cost us. And JB, I’m sorry but Ferdinand’s response on the first goal is not to go to the goal line but to take the open man five yards in front of him. This was not a bloody corner kick. Hargreaves had his man as he was marking the man who was right on EVDS. The goal scorer in that situation should have been marked by Rio. And Rio diving to parry a ball from getting into the box and thus preventing the calamity the produced goal number two would have been appreciated. A little more effort from the big fellow. Sometimes you have to leave your feet or dive. No one but myself seems to be blaming Ronaldo for his poor marking on Clichy for that cross. At that stage in the game all our players should stick to our opponents like glue. Ronny clearly gave him five yards of space to get his ball in.
Just a very frustrating afternoon of what ifs.
November 3rd, 2007 at 21:41
Fucking hurts 2 min only 2 min!anywayz it wasnt too be.now i am sure the league is ours!
November 3rd, 2007 at 22:40
i must admit that the defense is really starting to concern me……. today i saw nothing but nervous and desperate defending and both the goals were simply down to defensive breakdowns and panick in the box on the part of a relatively experienced back four……. going forward i think we did fine even though there were not that many clear cut opportunities apart from 2 that we took…..
lets give fergie a thumbs up for not going all defensive and trying to smother the game…. we crticized him sometimes last year of playing to cautiously in the crunch games (most notably at milan and against chelsea at wembley) so its nice to see the team play their own brand of football regardless of the opposition…. if we can step up on the defensive side of the park, i think this team has the potential to win games, even the big games away from home
November 3rd, 2007 at 22:52
what a shockin end to the match from the lads today….3minutes to keep the ball away from our
fukin box n we shat it.overall i thought again that we went out today to stifle arsenals play
as aposed to playin our own stlye of foos. dont think were particularly good at playin that 451 as naturally were a more attackin team. In season proved it showd in europe especially. I now reckn that with our new signings however we can get the right balance wit that formation BUT nani’s place in the starin 11 is essential. with giggs in the middle of he park the game passes him by….its almost embarrsin to watch. in all fairness today i thot he put in one of his better performances but i have no doubt we’d have won the game if he’d been subd for nani on 70mins. the osehea/ wes brown substitution was fukin pointless- a waste. Fukin ragin bout it all really! 1 positive thing i can take out the game was
the way in which we scored twice without having any real good individual performances ontop playin a relatively defensive game
November 4th, 2007 at 0:22
It is easy to sit at a computer and say we should never compromise our principles, we should go all out against every team, we should make a declaration etc. What is not easy is applying that in practice all the time. Arsenal offer a very, very different challenge to any other team domestically. Do I think we are more ruthless, yes I do. I believe we are stronger, faster, more experienced, have a deeper squad, a better keeper and a stronger defence. Do I think we are better at ball retention (particularly under pressure), no. Only Barcelona currently match Arsenal in that respect. That makes facing Arsenal, especially on their own patch and in the form they are in, a different proposition to what we normally face because they are the only domestic side that is consistently capable of starving us of possession.
Ergo SAF designed a strategy to combat this. I agree a defensive strategy is not always the best policy against a good offence, but given the opposition, style and circumstance I would regard the choice a good one. Particularly since only a late lapse of defensive concentration cost us and it wasn’t as if, other than that incident, we were hanging on for dear life.
On Rio, for the first goal VDS went wide left to block Adebayor, Rio was the last man back and wasn’t marking a man at that point, so he followed the standard defending procedures and went to cover the goal line while his goalkeeper was out of position. This is because he is then in position to try and clear the ball if Adebayor knicks it past VDS. That situation is far more likely than the ball working its way back to Fabregas and so Rio rightly played the percentage game. He has saved us goals on a number of occasions by doing exactly the same thing. On Hargreaves, he had 2 yards on Adebayor but managed to loose him allowing him the header on goal. On goal 2 I’ve had a look and Rio doesn’t look close enough to clear the ball (unless his legs are elastic). But I suppose to make you feel better he could have made a token slash/lunge at it, left himself lying on the ground and been unable to intervene in the rest of the Arsenal attack.
I will agree with you about Ronaldo, but lackadaisical defending and tracking back is the price we have to pay with him. I assume as a big advocate of Riqueleme you can appreciate the issue here.
November 4th, 2007 at 2:04
JB; Nice rub with the Riquelme remark. I guess you and I will just agree to disagree. I just don’t see the game the way you do. I too watched the game and froze it in sections and I am convinced Rio blundered on both situations. Adebayor had EVDS and others to worry about. Rio is CB. His job is to clear the front of goal. Not live on the goal line unless positioned there from a free kick. I’ve played and coached the game and I would never tell my CB to track back to the goal line in that situation. His responsibility was to take the Fabregas option away. Others had the responsibility for Adebayor.
Also, it’s not too much to ask Ronaldo to track back and cover a fullback or winger when there are seconds left in a game. I wouldn’t ask him to give that extra effort in the 54th minute, but in the 90th, I think so. And I greatly disagree with you about Rio needing elastic legs to get to that cross. No he didn’t he is over six feet tall and has very long legs. What he didn’t have was the desire to make the effort. Sure, he may have failed but he needed to make the effort. If the ball made it through than it really wouldn’t matter if he was on the ground and out of position because it probably would have been a goal, as it turned out to be. Last week we scored a goal because the defender failed to do the very same thing in a must situation.
Defensive concentration is vital but do you think it may just be more vital in the last five minutes of a match when the opposition is throwing everything including the kitchen sink at you? It’s inexcusable that the team had two defensive meltdowns in the game but to have the last one is unforgivable. Only teams like Tottenham lack the mental strength and fitness to fall apart like that. I expect as well as the United fan base demand more from our defense.
They let themselves, Fergie and all the fans down by not showing mental strength and discipline at the end. The open spaces were so wide you could have driven a train through them.
To say I am disappointed would be describing my feelings lightly. I love United dearly and in past years my attitude towards their play has not been so critical because I honestly could see weaknesses in their squad. This team is different. This team is a Greyhound built for speed and endurance. We didn’t dictate the terms today, bottom line. I am actually getting a little fed up watching the Ancelotti’s, Mourinho’s and Wenger’s of the world continually outsmart Fergie. To all of you who say the game plan worked to well, I say RUBBISH! We were lucky to draw and would have been considered thieves if we had won. Creating three scoring chances all day doesn’t light my fire. Not with the firepower we have on hand. Your points are well taken and you do make sense. I just see things differently. I think that is the North American in me. I’ve watched too much American football and hockey and I am used to good teams taking on other good teams by going for the jugular. We don’t think like Italians when it comes to attack. Right now I don’t feel good about the game because I wanted to win the sprint. I guess I’ll forget about it when we win the marathon.
November 4th, 2007 at 4:41
i’m looking at the match highlights and i cant help but agree with grognard……. rio ferdinand had a genuine chance of blocking the cross on the second goal….
November 4th, 2007 at 5:05
don’t know if anyone else commented on it but i am not happy with anderson’s play acting after the fabegras foul and for shoving an imaginary card in the refs face…. that CANNOT happen . . gotta stamp those (habits?) tendencies out of his game while he’s still young
November 4th, 2007 at 5:24
yeaa..very true…also carrick shud hav played instead of anderson from the beginning itself……that wud hav cut out the ball frm arsenal in the 1st half…and given da ball a bit more to the likes of ronaldo n tevez…but needless to say…..ronaldo i think over the years has come to a standstill that he plays only if he gets more of the ball….he has yet to produce that killer 1st distinctive touch..which cesc, messi r kaka easily does…
November 4th, 2007 at 5:38
blah. definately not an unfair result. if i had to pick the games of the season where only a single point would be acceptable, away to arsenal would be one of them. still i can’t escape the feeling that we should have had this one.
November 4th, 2007 at 7:23
Again against a very good team, we failed to show our class .. Many guys having been talking about tactical stuff and away game and all but even when we would at home against a good team , we never really show any signs of intent. For all this discussion, we all know honestly United NEVER looked like scoring. Simply speaking, the potency of our attack was simply not there, suppose we were 2-1 down, it wasnt looking as if we could get a goal at all. Where is teh attacking flair?? as for defence, two really poor goals were conceded but I say hell, it happens you score more than them. I think if we have to resort to ‘tactical’ methods to win against big teams, then seriously we should realise that we arent the grade yet.
Disappointed with many performances .. Our midfield was virtualy non-existant in second half, but still Hargo and Anderson need more games so I can be quiet. But why do we allow Arsenal have so much possesion and why we cant keep it ourselves.. simply because Arsenal players were hassling as much more then we were, plus their off the ball movement ws much better than ours.. I expected Hargo to do a bit more running than he did .. Ronaldo was completely nullified yesterday, why he is shunted out to the wing?? why dont we rotate playres like we do usually, if we have to punt long balls only then put Ronaldo afront and Tevez to the wing to fight it out for some possession .. All the rebound headers from defenders were simply going to Arsenal cheaply .. Hopefully we will learn from our mistakes..
November 4th, 2007 at 7:38
mmm…I on the other hnd thought Anderson was one of our better players, he worked hard defensively and looked good going forward, Im a real big fan, not on his play acting though, I can see another Keane/Veria battle deveoping between andeson and cesc. For me Brown was responsible for the first goal, completely ball watching. Rio did what he should have, by attempting to aurd the line. Saha was fantastic when he came on, a player who is so vital to United as he gives something different. Maybe should have been introduced earlier, but Nanis lack of invovement was a bit rough for me. After the introduction of Carrick, I think Giggs should have been subed, seeing as Carrick would shield our defense allowing Nani to gallop the wings. Oshea and Brown sub was a bit of a shock to be honest, maybe SAF was hoping Oshea would be a bit tighter, seeing as Brown was having a bit off an off day (loved his tackle on Clichy, hard and fair). Vidic was shown out for pace a few times, but was till an admirable contributer. Agree with JB, their second goal was one of those cases where luck was against us and it could have just as easily gone out as in the goal. There will always be times when this sort of stuff ocurs. But the ref was a joke. For me lost control of the game and slowed down the game with alot of needless free kicks, didnt realise that this was netball.
I think there is alot of undue critisism leveled at our players from some of their performances. EDVs was solid for me, as was the CBs the wings were where we looked most vulberable thorugh Evra and Giggs(who did play quite well, and his delicious chip to Rooney should just about have been Rooneys second, and through Christiano who and Brown. Dont get me wrong I love CR7 but again missing in the big game and put Brown under imense pressure by losing easy balls and not tracking back. Tevez tried hard, but just didnt look on song, Rooney was great, and so was Saha after his intorduction. Our CMs worked sufficently, and i dont think Arsenal dominated us in the midddle(especially when probably the best player in Europe atm was looking in some fine form).
A draw was a solid result for both temas, I thought that neither team outshone the other, with Arsenal playing probgably the more fluid football but Man Utd looking more dangerous on the counter an in their final third.
November 4th, 2007 at 7:50
SAMG; Bless your heart for seeing through the reality of Ferdinand’s two major errors. I have watched it over and over and I still can’t figure his way of thinking regarding the first goal. He even had plenty of time to go out and tie up Fabregas. Also the ball wasn’t hit so hard that Rio couldn’t have taken a whack at it on the goal line. If he missed, so be it, but at least give it a shot. The second goal would not have happened had the ref not called a stupid invisible foul on Saha. It should have been our ball and the dynamics of the final moments would have been different. That looked so bad you would think the Referee was wearing Arsenal red. Then Ronaldo never gave an effort against Clichy’s cross and Ferdinand refused to get grass stains on his ass or the second goal never would have happened either.
Bestie; Strong points as well. I would be easy on Anderson and Hargo though. Anderson will learn from his fair play mistakes. Trust me Fergie will teach him. It takes time to soak in though because these guys have it built into them from their cultural background.
South Americans are great at cheating and winning Academy Awards. As for Hargo, he looked a little slow out there. That could be because his knee is still a little tender and because he hasn’t quite rea