Ian Henry
I think I used this title once before, so apologies for the lack of originality. But like Arsenal under Wenger these days, the same old, same old rubric applies. Lack of passion, lack of drive, lack of strength to win the midfield, too many “big” players failing to deliver and the manager lacking the wit to out-think his opponent.
Ferguson knew how Arsenal would line-up, so he picked a tough central three to prevent our ball players having the space to weave their magic. And it worked. Did Rosicky do anything substantial in his time on the pitch? Did Arshavin, or indeed Nasri, ever look like opening up the United defence? How many real chances did we create? How many threatening shots did we have on target?
Cesc and RvP looked way off the pace when they came on and Theo did what Theo does best, running into roadblocks (ie experienced defenders who know what to do with him) or losing control.
So there we are: another game against the top two in which we have failed to score and in which, to be honest, we did not look like scoring (Chamakh’s effort saved by Vidic and one header apart). Defeat may not be terminal to our hopes in this most topsy-turvy of seasons, but did we even show a hint of the class or passion or desire of potential champions? Not that I could see!
Still, a win on Saturday against Stoke and a Chelsea win on Sunday will see us top at Xmas, continuing the illusion that we are a top side. Several people had texted me or emailed to say how confident they were before the game. Quite what made them confident or optimistic that Wenger would be able to get this team organised to fight for a win at Old Trafford I don’t know. It hasn’t happened for so long now that none of this team really knows what it takes to win away at a big team, or even get a draw. And that is why, I fear, winning the Premier League or the Champions League is an illusion. When the big games come, our big players don’t live up to billing the manager gives them. Until they do, we won’t win a trophy.
