At ten past four on Sunday afternoon, a fixture that once brewed such heart felt and pugnacious emotions between fans will once again stir up some of those old, competitive feelings. It is of course, Manchester United vs Arsenal.
Many seasons have passed since Arsenal were considered title contenders, players have come and gone and the club has dipped in and out of ‘crisis’. All the while, Manchester United have remained a constant, battling for the premier league top spot year after year and in the process, claiming their twentieth league title.
It’s been a mismatch. The last time Arsenal finished above third place was in the 2004/05 season, when Chelsea amassed 95 points, the current Premier League record. That was also the last time Arsenal managed to trump United and finish above them.
But Arsenal, the fallen team from the glory days of ‘the Invincibles’, are slowing, but authoritatively fighting their way back to becoming a force to be reckoned with once again. United on the other hand, having lost Sir Alex Ferguson, the captain of their gloriously successful ship, have hit rough seas in the opening ten games of this campaign.
It took one iceberg to doom the Titanic to the bottom of the Atlantic, and Liverpool, Manchester City and West Brom have already struck the United vessel, threatening to sink Moyes on his maiden voyage.
As is the way with champions though, you would expect United to rise from the watery depths of 8th place; after all, they are only three points off of Chelsea in 2nd.
What this unusual start to a Premier League season has done, amongst all else, is reignite that fire which used to encompass the battles between Arsenal and Manchester United.
There is a renewed sense of confidence and ambition spreading from the Emirates, infecting both fans and opposition teams. After an away win in Dortmund in midweek, Jürgen Klopp declared that Arsenal could go on to win the Champions League this season. The fear factor teams used to encounter when playing Arsenal could be returning.
After Gary Neville and Robbie Savage both conceded that we now have to be considered serious title contenders, it seems a bitter Alan Hansen and a reluctant Alan Shearer are the two left on the list of people to convince.
Where better to do that than on the pitch at Old Trafford on Sunday? United must count as a ‘big team’, right? If not, we would swiftly be moving towards an elite consisting of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Seeing as Bayern Munich, Tottenham, Napoli, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund fail to pass Hansen’s test, who else would qualify?
Flamini may be a doubt, but if Arteta can reproduce the performance he gave at Dortmund in the week, the defensive midfield roll is in capable hands. Aaron Ramsey is in the form of his life. He can’t stop scoring and there is nothing like a game against United to motivate him further and keep him producing the goods.
Mesut Özil oozes class. He can be quiet all game and pop up with that killer through ball, which at the moment is feeding Olivier Giroud, who is currently enjoying his time leading Arsenal’s front line.
United’s biggest threat is invariably Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney up front. The two of them are capable of dragging a team through a tough time and producing world-class performances to win valuable points.
Our defence has been very good, but Rooney and Van Persie will be a big test, maybe the biggest we’ve faced since our win at the Allianz. Saying that, Koscielny and Mertesacker did a fine job keeping Suarez and Sturridge quiet last weekend, so they will be hoping to put in an equally good shift on Sunday.
Whatever the outcome on Sunday, it is certain to be a great game with a brilliant atmosphere. Arsenal are cruising at the moment, enjoying life at the top of the premier league. Manchester United are wounded, and they have the potential to pick themselves up and bite back. The battle between Wenger and Ferguson has ended, the battle between Wenger and Moyes is about to begin.
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Header Photo via Ronnie Macdonald –Â http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronmacphotos/