why you man over analyzing the third goal it was game over at 2-0 was the second goal where your midfield thought f*ck it defence should have this covered but we created a lot of chances in the second half to make it 6/7 and that almunia kick out where nani should of hit it first time/im deleting any united fan who tries to jump on a nani bandwagon, stick to slating him and saying we need young.
Arsenal's day of indignity and embarrassment reached a fitting conclusion as the ceiling in the Emirates Stadium's opulent media theatre came out in sympathy with their defence - and leaked like a sieve.Panic was swiftly avoided with the use of a bucket and a presumably a plumber. Crisis over. If only Arsenal's own problems could have been solved so simply as Manchester United made it a harrowing afternoon for Arsene Wenger and his team.Wenger, as he did before the heavy home defeat against Chelsea in November, talked up the meeting with the champions as a measure of his side. Once again Arsenal failed their big examination. Miserably.The moods of the two old foes Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson could not have been more contrasting - in keeping with the performances of their teams. No fine margins here, United were superior in every department while Arsenal were flimsy, lightweight and bore no resemblance to serious title contenders.While Ferguson was jaunty and called on Arsenal to recover and "batter" Chelsea next Sunday, even the arch-optimist Wenger could find no comfort amid the wreckage of a sobering meeting with United.He complained about United's "anti football" after defeat at Old Trafford earlier in the season, but he could make no such claims here. This was prolonged, painful punishment inflicted by United's mastery and Arsenal had no answer.Wenger rarely calls out his players in public, but his after-match inquest read like a footballing crime sheet. "Difficult to accept but easy to explain. We were poor defensvely and offensively. We always gave them too much room. We were naive. Maybe too inhibited and tense."And these were the positives. Wenger also suggested there were "some mental reasons" and reflected on the galling statistic that two of United's goals came directly from Arsenal corners.No such problems for Ferguson and United, who have had an outstanding week and played with as much attacking conviction as at any time since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.Indeed, much of the template for United's success came from the Ronaldo-inspired victory in the Champions League semi-final at the Emirates last season. Ruthless, sweeping counter-attacking football based on the foundations of heavy industry, pace and width with the wonderful Wayne Rooney the focal point.Rooney's performances come as no surprise these days. I recently questioned Aston Villa's manager Martin O'Neill's description of James Milner as "a great player." Ferguson used the same words to describe Rooney after United's win - no arguments because he is in that elite group now.The surprise extra dimension for United came in the shape of Nani, so often derided as a Ronaldo-lite show pony, and with good reason. At the Emirates he emphasised his recent progress which Ferguson puts down to personal maturity and his ability to finally overcome a naturally shy nature.Nani simply tortured Arsenal's Gael Clichy and anyone else who came in close proximity. It was almost cruel and he drew gasps with his trickery that forced Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia into conceding an own goal and set up Rooney for a repeat of the classic goal Ronaldo scored in the Champions League meeting last season.Ji-Sung Park, who with the excellent Darren Fletcher is trusted by Ferguson in fixtures such as these, illustrated United's superiority and Arsenal's incompetence by running unchallenged over more than half the length of the pitch before being left with little option other than to score.United were deadly while Arsenal were sitting ducks, displaying every trait that means they are treated with suspicion when Wenger talks up their title credentials. If Arsenal's fans feel previous criticism has been harsh, the grim evidence was laid out before them in all its ugly reality on Sunday and many had seen enough by the time Park made it 3-0 early in the second half.The champions were bigger, stronger, more forceful and had the better footballers as United's superiority was not reflected by the scoreline. Chelsea are ominous at the top of the table, but United made sure they got the message loud and clear - if they want the title back it will be a fight to the finish.For Arsenal, title hopes remain but this was defeat on such a damaging scale that it will take special reserves of strength to regroup before next Sunday's visit to Chelsea.Arsenal lacked stature in all its forms, they were horribly indisciplined tactically as they were hit on the break with monotonous regularity, United feeding off a naivety unbecoming of a team with such lofty ambitions.And Wenger must take his share of the blame for this. Arsenal were still making the same basic organisational errors at the end of the game as they were at the start and they were either unwilling or unable to make the adjustments.The likes of Tomas Rosicky, Denilson and Samir Nasri looked feeble as United ran all over Arsenal. It actually did look like men against boys at times.Wenger riled Martin O'Neill by taking the purists' stance after the draw at Aston Villa, labelling them a "long ball" side. Arsenal might actually benefit from a bit of long ball themselves because their studied passing style has drawn blanks against Chelsea and United at home this season and variety can be the spice of life.Arsenal's uncertainly was summed up best by the performance of goalkeeper Almunia. Horribly at fault for United's first goal, he looked like he had had his self-confidence surgically removed by the final whistle, especially when he lashed a throw in straight to Nani in a blind panic.The jeers at the final whistle summed up Arsenal's sombre mood. It was the sound of their title hopes being deflated, the fear that the Premier League is another trophy Arsenal will not be winning this season.If this is so, it leaves the Champions League as Arsenal's only other hope of their first silverware since 2005 and it takes some leap of the imagination to picture the team we saw on Sunday lifting that trophy. It just makes Wenger's apparent ambivalence to the FA Cup and Carling Cup even more puzzling - when you have not been winning trophies, you cannot afford to be fussy about your targets.For United and Ferguson, this result will serve as a huge injection of self-belief. This was the sort of performance they used to produce with Ronaldo, and to exert such authority on Arsenal without him will do wonders for confidence.And they have Rooney, the talisman so crucial to United and England. He now looks the complete attacking player, the spearhead for club and country to such an extent even some Arsenal fans were hushed when he slumped to the floor clutching his knee in the second half.It was no more than a kick, but Ferguson and Capello will live with the fear of any misfortune befalling Rooney. He is irreplaceable for United and England.He scored his 100th Premier League goal when he swept in that brilliant second on Sunday, with his first also coming against Arsenal as a 16-year-old on that memorable Goodison Park day in October 2002.Wenger hailed Rooney then and he did again on Sunday. It was praise through the pain as United brutally exposed Arsenal's old fragilities and questioned their fitness to be taken seriously as Premier League title contenders.And then there were two.
It just makes Wenger's apparent ambivalence to the FA Cup and Carling Cup even more puzzling - when you have not been winning trophies, you cannot afford to be fussy about your targets.
what i keep saying.like we have a choice about what were aiming for... winning one of them cups will help since theyll finally win something together as a team instead of coming up to these crunch games and fluffing their lines
It is understandable thoughHe has younger players coming through, he needs to give them gamesHe can't do it in the premier league because he needs that 4th (or higher) spot to ensure enough revenue for next yearThe fact that Arsenal aren't going to win the premier league does not mean they can afford to finish outside the skyzoneFA/Carling cup is where it has to happenWe do it in the cups (barring city) Seems to be arsenal fans were very optimistic about their prem dreams before we played youSuddenly wenger is completely wrong?Your still in a v good position you just got beaten by the better team
Arsenal is a long term project, once the stadium is closer to being paid for they'll be in a good position.and to be honest they aren't too many signings away from getting it right
It is understandable thoughHe has younger players coming through, he needs to give them gamesHe can't do it in the premier league because he needs that 4th spot to ensure enough revenue for next yearThe fact that Arsenal aren't going to win the premier league does not mean they can afford to finish outside the skyzoneFA/Carling cup is where it has to happenWe do it in the cups (barring city) Seems to be arsenal fans were very optimistic about their prem dreams before we played youSuddenly wenger is completely wrong?Your still in a v good position you just got beaten by the better team
this is one of the things that baffle me, the fickle nature and flip flopping of some fans, even Perry Groves said that with Arsenal fans its either evrythings fine and we're gonna win the league, or its all doom and gloom and big change is needed.only one team can win the league each season and where i do get and understand the frustartion some perspective and a view on the longer term is needed when Looking at Arsenal
ExactlyYoud think if any set of fans would have respect for what their manager has and is capable of accomplishing it should be the clubs own onesGuy is building a legacy not overnight successIts the reason that in 20 years time he will be the manager talked about after Sir Alex in respects to what they have contributed to the Premier League
Correct, when Wengers gone it'll be a case of you dont know what you've got till its gone. compare Arsenal now to when he took over. both footballing wise, success wise, and if you will business wise. he's transformed your club into somthing you should and can be proud of, obviously theres a few things he's got wrong but thats to be expected
Owner Stan Kroenke was there on Sunday.He saw Arsenal get hammered 3-1 by Manchester United.Stan witnessed a meltdown he probably didn’t understand.He saw a side that was fine for five minutes, panicked after 10 minutes, and was finished when the first goal went in after 33.The billionaire sports mogul caught Arsenal at a very unusual moment : the moment when Arsene Wenger, more than ever before, blamed his players.Wenger said, "It's difficult to accept but easy to explain: we were poor defensively and offensively, cohesion-wise, and delivered an off-the-mark performance completely. That's why we were well beaten. We gave them too much room and were naive. It's a massive blow and a massive disappointment. We were never close in our marking, and you do not win big games like that."As I have said for nine years, Wenger is a choreographer, not a tactician.A choreographer is someone who obsessively interested in his own ballet rehearsals. A tactician like George Graham or Fabio Capello looks at the other guy's ballet and nullifies it. A tactician teaches attack and defence. A choreographer does one thing, a tactician does two things.Wenger does not teach defence.He does not teach defence.HE DOES NOT TEACH DEFENCE.How long have I been saying that? Feels like seven years.Wenger can't think on his feet. He's very good at most things but he's hopeless at that. He plans his match and lets it roll and can't change a game, except by throwing on two more strikers and hoping for the best.Look at the first ten minutes, when Nani was annihilating Clichy, and United almost scored three goals. A proper manager would gave jumped to his feet and screamed at Nasri to cover his left back, as Graham Rix used to cover Kenny Sansom, as Brian Marwood used to cover Nigel Winterburn.By contrast, when Fabregas ran away from Scholes twice, Sir Alex switched Carrick and Scholes, which changed the game.The first goal, when Almunia slapped in a Nani cross, ended the contest after 33 minutes.Nasri didn't even back up his French mate when Nani took on Clichy and floated the cross that Almunia tipped into his own net. Nasri stood alongside Clichy and watched ! Don Howe would weep if he saw that. George Graham would never accept what Nasri did there and Tony Adams would have thrown him against the dressing room wall.It’s 0-0 at home in the biggest game in the season and Nasri just stood there like a plank? Brian Clough would have yanked Nasri off before the re-start. I once saw Clough take Stuart Pearce off at West Ham for making two mistakes.The goal for 2-0 was the best Premier League goal of the season so far. Rooney's 100th was very special.On the breakaway for the third goal, Clichy didn’t go to Park. He ran towards him and then stopped. What an idiot ! What an amateur ! What a muppet ! He gave Park all the time he needed to slot his shot between the near post and Almunia.That is where we are : A side that can't beat a very good team of experienced men, but can defeat 14 of the mediocre sides below them.Chelsea will smash Arsenal again on Sunday.But, after a draw against Liverpool, Arsenal should still win most of their remaining matches and finish third.Arshavin has felt unloved from day one. The club signed the captain of Russia for a club record fee of £16 million but the manager did not mention his name to the press for three weeks. The media-manipulating maestro, who praises his players daily in the papers and on TV and radio, did not mention his new star for three weeks. To anybody who pays daily attention to Arsenal, that signal told us that the arrival of Arshavin, a tough little man with two magic feet, had put a few noses out of joint in the Colney creche.Arshavin really enjoyed watching Arsenal on TV, so he signed, and then saw how many children were in the dressing room. He realised he had made a big mistake but he tried to fit in, tried to play. Recently, he told Wenger to sign a striker for him to play with. But his form dipped, as he is carrying an injury to his right foot. Like Gallas, he is playing through pain.Against Manchester United, Arshavin performed more selfishly than I've ever seen him play in any game for Russia, Zenit or Arsenal. He had a terrible game. The last time I saw a player of that ability play so badly was Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League Final that United lost 2-0 to Barcelona last May. That was because Cristiano has an emotional age of thirteen.Arshavin showed his rage, his angst, his disdain for Wenger, by playing as he did, always trying to shoot when he should have passed. He despairs, as I do. What we saw was a world class talent in despair, a tortured soul.Wenger wants a young, swift team playing ten-yard passes, quick triangles of attack, passing and moving in swarms, giving each other options, and that works well enough to keep Arsenal in the Top Four.In my book, Wenger is a recidivist, someone who repeatedly commits the same offence. He is compelled to do the same thing again and again.His team of midgets was never in this game and Wes Brown and Jonny Evans had an easy ride against one five foot five inch striker.Almunia once said Wenger wants a team of nice guys who get on well together. Clearly, he doesn't tell them when they're doing things wrong. He just lets them play and never addresses their mistakes, so they keep making the same mistakes. That's not coaching, it's abdication,He indulges his players, especially his French players. Hleb was a better footballer than Nasri, a guy who worked hard, kept the ball, linked well with Flamini, Fabregas and the others. Hleb could not finish but he contributed more than Nasri is doing now.So, once again, Arsenal were smashed and humiliated and their fans were embarrassed.This was the first time that Manchester United have beaten Arsenal home and away since the Premier League started.More notably, it was the first time Wenger has blamed his players on such a scale.He said : It was their fault, not my fault.Of course it's his fault. He's been allowed to create a one-man club. Like all dictators, he surrounded himself with yes-men and became delusional. He created a campus for young millionaires, and installed himself as the Vice Chancellor, the Bursar, the professor of sports medicine, professor of statistics, professor of history, professor of spin.This 3-1 thrashing by Manchester United was the best example you will ever see of a manager who is not interested in anything except his own vision of how he wants his team to play.The biggest mistake the board has made since playing those two Champions League seasons at Wembley was to give Wenger control of the entire playing budget.He was given far too much power and he used it to ruthlessly pursue his obsessive vision. The board’s rationale was : He is a workaholic genius, a polymath who takes a lot of weight off us, he gets a lot of decisions right that we would get wrong, and he’s a stoic who accepts that suffering is part of his very difficult job, especially during a historic stadium move. We will be preoccupied for the next six years by the financing and building and opening of the new stadium, the biggest and most complex project any football club has ever attempted.So, as Mihir Bose revealed years ago, Wenger was given full control of a budget that covers transfers and wages. They are not separate. He controls both and makes all the decisions, keeps within his budget, and makes a profit, which no other manager does.The killer point is this : Wenger alone chooses whether to spend money on new players, or on new contracts for his existing squad.He sells us the future, buying more and more kids, so that no other coach could make sense of his squad, and thereby keeping himself in a £5 million-a-year job in perpetuity. He has made sure he is irreplaceable. No manager in the history of association football has sold potential for so long or rewarded failure so generously.All over the world, Arsenal fans wonder : Why doesn’t Wenger buy the players we obviously need?The answer is simple. He sold two Africans to Manchester City for £40 million and used most of that money to give new contracts to 18 players who have not won anything and will not win anything under his guidance.This control-freak's idea of heaven is a team that doesn’t give him any aggro, where nobody ever puts in a transfer request. By paying £60,000 a week to Eduardo and Walcott, he owns them now and he will continue to own them for 20 years after they retire. He boasted that Almunia had no CV before he came to Arsenal and he insults us by touting him for England, a comment which infuriated Fabio Capello, among others. Eboue, Denilson and Diaby can never be sold because nobody else would pay those wages to them. Who would pay money for Almunia?So everybody at the Colney creche owes their entire career to him, apart from Arshavin, Gallas and Vermaelen.He really hates buying a used footballer who might have an opinion and challenge him and ask why he doesn't teach defence, or work on scoring from crosses, or rehearse a few surprising free-kicks or practice the many other things that this Arsenal team cannot do and will never do while Wenger is in charge.He has tunnel-vision. His sole interest is in pursuing his vision of how his team should play. We saw that clearly on Sunday. The eleven he picked was the eleven that could best deliver his vision of how football should be played. Only a delusional sports scientist would have fielded that eleven against battling champions who have won three league titles in a row. He deserved to get smashed.Wenger’s narrow, blinkered vision is more important to him than trophies, and that’s why he’s failed to win trophies he could have won, including four European finals that he has lost with Monaco and Arsenal.When I went to Barnet that night with Mark Jacob, and saw Portsmouth play Arsenal reserves, I was staggered by how one-dimensional Arsenal were.I was amazed. It was mind-boggling. I did not think it was possible for eleven young men to play football in such a one-dimensional manner. If they had won, no problem. But they lost 2-0.The culture that Wenger's pampering has created is artificial and fragile, and it has no leader other than him. When Keown tried to tell Senderos something, he walked away. An allegedly intelligent young Swiss centreback didn’t want to learn from an English winner. Then when Liverpool mugged Senderos at Anfield, he broke down in tears in the dressing room. And then he phoned his parents in Switzerland. Senderos hardly played after that trauma.Mikael Silvestre said Arsenal was too French. But when Man United wanted to unloaded an old crock, Silvestre joined Arsenal.So what do I really think of Arsene Wenger?A messiah who is well past his sell-by date.He did magnificent things for eight years and those colossal achievements have been extensively and lovingly documented by yours truly on ANR, and in several books, including The Professor.But Wenger is now revealed as a flawed character pursuing a misguided strategy and managing an unbalanced squad of players who know they cannot win the league.Since they are all foreigners, these players only come alive for the Champions League. Against Porto they will be trying. When Arsenal play Porto, all the French boys will get a game, and they'll all be hunting for the ball and concentrating and giving 110%.That is the only competition Wenger really cares about. He can’t imagine retiring before he’s won it and I can't imagine how somebody who doesn't teach defence, and who has Almunia in goal, thinks he can win the Champions League.Wenger wanted and got a convenient away draw in the FA Cup at Stoke, and that gave him the chance to chuck the FA Cup and joke about it afterwards, ignoring the feelings of the 6,500 mug punters who went up to Stoke to support their beloved team.Towards the Spring of 2008-2009, I called my builder Jimmy, who is a Gooner, mainly to ask him if he'd been to Arsenal much recently. He has season tickets and used to watch the reserves as well.Jimmy said, "I haven’t been at all this season. I’ve rented out my season tickets. Wenger's f***ed up the team. We need more power in midfield, more power in defence. I’m not going back while he’s the manager."
Seems to be arsenal fans were very optimistic about their prem dreams before we played youSuddenly wenger is completely wrong?Your still in a v good position you just got beaten by the better team
Rightly so.No. He's just stubborn and jeopardises now by being just the little too stubborn.
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why you man over analyzing the third goal it was game over at 2-0 was the second goal where your midfield thought f*ck it defence should have this covered but we created a lot of chances in the second half to make it 6/7 and that almunia kick out where nani should of hit it first time/im deleting any united fan who tries to jump on a nani bandwagon, stick to slating him and saying we need young.
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Natty
hol tight the london man utd fans who are more excited by this victory then when they beat man city
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Black Ant
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TF S4DK
In a ideal world we meet them again in the Champions League this season.
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Badman
u joking rightthe whole point is to avoid english teams in the CLmore time they own us on there
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Young £
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The King
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BATTY BOY BUM BANDIT
LMAO @ People still tryna convince themselves they wouldnt want Rooney in there team.Too much./>>>>>Arshavin. Overrated little midget.
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Drift
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Guest R9
It is understandable thoughHe has younger players coming through, he needs to give them gamesHe can't do it in the premier league because he needs that 4th (or higher) spot to ensure enough revenue for next yearThe fact that Arsenal aren't going to win the premier league does not mean they can afford to finish outside the skyzoneFA/Carling cup is where it has to happenWe do it in the cups (barring city) Seems to be arsenal fans were very optimistic about their prem dreams before we played youSuddenly wenger is completely wrong?Your still in a v good position you just got beaten by the better team
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Kompressor
Arsenal is a long term project, once the stadium is closer to being paid for they'll be in a good position.and to be honest they aren't too many signings away from getting it right
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Kompressor
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Guest R9
ExactlyYoud think if any set of fans would have respect for what their manager has and is capable of accomplishing it should be the clubs own onesGuy is building a legacy not overnight successIts the reason that in 20 years time he will be the manager talked about after Sir Alex in respects to what they have contributed to the Premier League
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Black Ant
yeah, YEAH
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Kompressor
Correct, when Wengers gone it'll be a case of you dont know what you've got till its gone. compare Arsenal now to when he took over. both footballing wise, success wise, and if you will business wise. he's transformed your club into somthing you should and can be proud of, obviously theres a few things he's got wrong but thats to be expected
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darkman
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Doug
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TF S4DK
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Drift
man u will murder us again./darkman that article was disturbing.
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TF S4DK
Carling Cup is not a priority for the first team and I like it that way.FA Cup is third choice and again I like it like that.
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TF S4DK
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