Man Utd -v- Arsenal
Game of Brobdingnagian Proportions
Match of the season by a long way surely, as Manchester United and Arsenal come head to head in this mammoth of a clash at the top of the table. With Chelsea having faded away of late struggling for form, United and Arsenal seem to have rolled back years when the Premiership was a two-horse race between themselves. Arsenal currently sit top of the ladder with 32 points, 1 point ahead of United even though the Red Devils have a game in hand as well as a more superior goal difference. Manchester City, with the win against West Ham yesterday, squeezed in between United and Arsenal to sit in 2nd spot, level on points at the top of the table, effectively showing how close the Premiership has become over the last 2 years. United would see this as a must-win whereas Arsenal would see this as a must-not-lose. The dynamics at play in this game must be the greatest we have seen in a while, especially with Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham all in the picture. Intriguing!
United Roaring on Home Turf
Manchester United have missed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, no doubt about it. Gone are the days when United were able to score 4 or 5 goals easily against their opponents. However, despite their inability to garner huge goal tallies of the past, they have still managed to always get results. This season, United have remained unbeaten in the competitions that count, being the Premiership and the Champions League. United's run in the Carling Cup came to a halt when they went down 0-4 to West Ham but that was a game in which players like Bebe, Gabriel Obertan, Chris Smalling and Tomasz Kuszczak played. I expect none of them to feature today. On home turf in the Premier League, United have won 9 of their last 10, drawing the other. In all of these games, United have scored at least 2 goals in each. In fact, in their last 19 home games in the League, they have won 17, scoring exactly 2 goals in just 5 of those 17 games. In all the other ones, they have scored at least 3. Deadly indeed.
Gunners Hitting Form at Right Time
Make no mistake about it, this Arsenal side have matured. Sir Alex Ferguson has come out in the press to commend the Gunners for having attained maturity in their style of play and one would tend to agree with the United boss. Arsenal may have suffered some shock results this season like their reverses against West Brom, Shakhtar Donetsk, Newcastle, Tottenham and Sporting Braga, but by and large Arsenal have been breathtaking in their style of play and results. Arsenal come into this huge game against United on the back of 4 straight wins over Aston Villa, Wigan, Fulham and Partizan. Arsenal notched 11 goals during this 4-game period and they should feel confident about netting at Old Trafford. Arsenal have rarely been known as world-beaters away from home in the League but they have now won their last 4 road games in the row, hitting 3 past Man City, 2 past Wolves, 2 past Everton and 4 past Aston Villa. Stunning form... and very back-able form too.
Explosive Berbatov to Partner Rooney
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Fergson welcomes back a quartet of useful players for this titanic encounter with the Gunners. Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Wes Brown and Jonny Evans are all back available following injuries and illnesses. The only players out for this game are Owen Hargreaves, Michael Owen and Luis Antonio Valencia. With his potential of the extraordinary, Dimitar Berbatov should be paired with Wayne Rooney upfront. We would all remember Berbatov going nuts against Liverpool, netting a hat-trick, and we would all remember Berbatov going nuttier against Blackburn, smashing in 5 goals. Sir Alex would hope something similar from the Bulgarian today. Partnered with Berbatov will be Wayne Rooney, who has failed to inspire this season amidst off-field controversies. A huge game for the English international here would pump him up for the rest of the season so I expect nothing less than a committed performance from him.
Fabregas Doubtful but Nasri to Impress
For Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, he has some major injury concerns. Club captain, world-class central midfielder, World Cup winner and Barcelona-target... Francesc Fabregas is a doubt for this game with a hamstring problem. First-choice left-back Gael Clichy is touch-and-go as well with a virus. Johan Djorou could miss out with a thigh problem. Definitely ruled out are goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, defenders Thomas Vermalen (whom Arsenal have missed hugely this season) and Kieran Gibbs and midfielders Abou Diaby and Emmanuel Frimpong. Dutch international striker Robin Van Persie might start this one either partnering Marouane Chamakh or relegating the Moroccan international to the bench. Arsenal's player to watch, in my books, would be Frenchman Samir Nasri. I have earmarked Nasri to be the player that could potentially prompt Arsenal to sell Fabregas because the Frenchman has stepped into the shoes of the Spaniard with aplomb. He has now netted 4 goals in his last 3 Premiership games and I will not be surprised to see him putting in another match-winning performance.
United Edging the Head-to-Head
In terms of head-to-head records, Manchester United have the clear upper hand. Arsenal's last win against United at Old Trafford came on 18th September 2006 when Emmanuel Adebayor slotted home at 86th-minute winner. Since that game, however, Arsenal have played 10 games against United, winning just 2, both coming at home by the 2-1 scoreline. United have picked up 6 wins during this time, winning 4 of 5 at Old Trafford, and 4 of the last 4 home and away. With the Red Devils constantly having the measure of Arsenal in recent years, it is no surprise that bookmakers are deeming United the stronger of the two coming into this huge Monday night clash. In the last meeting between them back in February this year, United raced to a 3-0 lead through goals from Manuel Almunia (own goal), Wayne Rooney and Ji-Sung Park. Thomas Vermalen pulled a goal back for the Londoners but that was how it ended. In terms of head-to-head statistics, you would have to give it to United.
Conclusions on the Handicap
Here's the deal, my friends. I applaud you for reading this far. I know 80% of readers would not get to this bit! Let me know if you have. Anyway, back to my conclusion. In terms of historical data, United seem to have the clear upper-hand. But we have to remember that United used to have Cristiano Ronaldo who determined a lot of the previous games single-handedly. With United now missing Ronaldo as well as having the likes of Rooney, Berbatov and Nani going hot and cold without notice, this may be a game determined by recent form. Now recent form tells us Arsenal are scoring goals for fun and that United love drawing games, having drawn 7 of 15 in the League this season. Apart from recent form, if we look at the match-ups around the pitch, again you may have to side with the Gunners. Michael Carrick and Anderson are so off-colour in recent times that I expect Alex Song to be dominant, allowing Samir Nasri to strut his stuff supporting the front-men and wing men. United would score, but so would Arsenal. Not an easy game by any stretch of the imagination, but on the Asian Handicap, we have to back Arsenal to not lose! Of course, enjoy the game too with some icy beverages!
