Arsenal need an Old Trafford win
The Gunners have not lost in their last 19 games but are eight points behind Manchester City and need to put Manchester United to the sword in their own backyard tomorrow.
Victory in Sunday’s North London derby over Tottenham Hotspur means Arsenal have now not lost in their last 19 outings. It is almost like the days of the “Invincibles” when they produced an unbeaten campaign in 2003-04 to romp to the title.
This time round though, in spite of their impressive unbeaten run, they are still a significant eight points behind leaders Manchester City, who set records of their own in coasting to the title last season and are looking oddson to repeat the feat again.
Arsenal are fourth in the title race, just behind Chelsea and six points adrift of second-placed Liverpool.
If the Gunners are to continue on their way and move close to a title-challenging position, then success on Wednesday away at Old Trafford is vital.
The stadium was the theatre for many a cagey, and often testy, encounter between rival managers Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, who only had a 26% success rate at United’s home ground with defeats including an 8-2 thrashing by Sir Alex’s side in August 2011.
Now a new era belongs to an increasingly vulnerable Jose Mourinho, who is reduced to kicking water bottles and questioning the guts of his players, and the slick Unai Emery, whose attention to detail is fast becoming the stuff of legends.
Wenger made many significant changes to the culture of the English game with the introduction of better diets, a passing playing style and seeing off the booze culture at the club.
Since then a myriad of foreign managers have followed him into the English game and Emery is said to have taken attention to detail to a new degree.
Super-fit teams, talent development and looking after the person as well as the player are the tenets of his work.
Form wise, the Gunners must have every chance to come away with a win against a United side mired in inconsistency and controversy, and obviously in an unhappy place.
But if they do slip, then it is likely Manchester City, who are at Watford tonight, and Liverpool, who should beat Burnley away, will open a bigger gap - one that might prove hard to close never mind how many games the Gunners go unbeaten subsequently.
All the midweek EPL matches are included in TAB soccer pools.