Arsenal v United grudge match now reduced to nostalgia fixture
The anti-arsène Wenger brigade will be tempted to say it went downhill when Manchester United lost their manager and Arsenal kept theirs. An Arsenal-united game used to glow red hot in the calendar. It was a North-south feud, with two great managers at the core. The drum roll sounded not just for the animosity but the sense that these were the two boldest and most entertaining teams in the land. Astonishingly, now, Sky’s statisticians say this is the first time since 1977 that the two sides have faced each other in the second half of the season with both outside the top four places. Forty years ago, Tommy Docherty (United) and Terry Neill were the managers.
A Champions League campaign next season without United and Arsenal remains conceivable, if neither can overhaul Manchester City and Liverpool and United fail to win the Europa League. Such is the incongruity of their current league positions that Jose Mourinho is threatening to field a weakened team at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow to protect his chances of easing past Celta Vigo into the Europa League final.
Part of the beauty of English football, you could argue, is that a Bayern Munich monopoly or Real Madrid-barcelona duopoly could not happen here. The chances of an Arsenal-united type double act stretching over 10 years or so are diminishing. Between 2000 and 2005, when they won two Premier League titles apiece, neither United nor Arsenal finished outside the top three. That pattern was broken by Chelsea, who, should they hold off Spurs at the top this month, will have won five of the last 13 English championships, matching United’s record in that period. The difference of course is that United last ran the country in 2012-13 and have since finished seventh, fourth and fifth.
So the manager who ushered in the Chelsea Age (Mourinho) now covets a League Cup and Europa League double which – whatever the cynics might say – would be a good return on his first season at Old Trafford.
Two trophies – one guaranteeing Champions League entry – would be set alongside the return of United’s hunger and discipline, after three seasons in which the players seemed to be going through the motions.
The emergence of Marcus s Rashford (right), the successfulful phasing out of Wayne Rooneyey and improvement by several l players – Eric Bailly, Marcos Rojo, Jesse Lingard and Ander Herrera among them
– all points to the restorationn of some kind of base for Mourinho to work from. Remarkably, Juventus managed to sell Paul Pogba to United for £89 million and still till improve as a team, judging by their midweek win in Monaco.co. Pogba, too, is beginning to find his rhythm, though praise for or his performance in Spain onn Thursday was perhaps overstated, given how mediocre ocre Celta Vigo were.
Arsenal, on the other hand, d, convey no sense of direction, n, improvement or purpose. Tottenham’s first goal against them last weekend expressed Arsenal’s season in miniature, with Dele Alli allowed to dance into a scoring position while Wenger’s defenders watched him go. Here was an image of a team who have lost faith, given up: label it how you will.
To restore Arsenal-united to its prime-time slot, Spurs will have to be spooked by playing home games at Wembley (or lose half their team), Pep Guardiola will need to be exposed as a busted flush, Liverpool will be obliged to go backwards and Chelsea to tumble into some kind of discord or decadence.
The big question for Arsenal – the only question, for now – is whet whether Wenger is the one to deal with all those threats u up ahead in the league w while simulta simultaneously shaking this Ar Arsenal squad out of timidit timidity and aimlessness. Unti Until that happens, Arsenal-u Arsenal-united will be a nostalgia fi fixture, living off memories of thunderous clashes, of flying pizza and clenched fi fists. The Premier League is n not standing around waitingwa for either club to rec recover.
Sir Alex Ferguson left the stage as PremierPr League champion champion. Without spectacula spectacular reinvention, Wenger w will depart wearing very old go gold, from 2004.