The words ‘goal shy’ and ‘Arsenal’ are rarely uttered in the same breath. The Gunners are used to being the cavaliers of Premier League football, delighting the Emirates crowd with their artistry on the pitch as they craft goals from the highest order.
Arsenal fans have certainly not seen this type of play in the last week. The team from North London slumped to an impotent 2-1 defeat at Stoke City at the weekend, before following this up on Wednesday night with a 0-0 draw against Fenerbahçe in the Champions League. Just two weeks ago they had thrashed the Turkish club 5-2.
This failure in attack was the last thing that under fire manager Arsene Wenger would have wanted. The problems for the French manager were only supposed to be at the other end of the pitch.
The full ferocity of the critic’s barbs had been projected there due to the soft centre of the Arsenal team.
This weakness at the back has seen them concede over twice the amount of goals that top of the table Chelsea have. The tipping point for this came in the recent shambolic draw with bitter rivals Tottenham, where a two goal lead in the 89th minute turned in to a 4-4 draw at the final whistle.
A repeat showing against United would be disastrous for the Gunners' hopes of getting their hands on the Premier League trophy they’ve not held since the 2003/04 season.
Arsenal will also be out to prove that they can compete with the top teams in the division after losing to the lower lights of Fulham, Hull City and Stoke City in the early months of the campaign.
With Emmanuel Adebayor injured, Robin Van Persie suspended, and Theo Walcott doubtful, it’s going to take a big performance from the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Nikolas Bendtner and Samir Nasri to get the Gunners firing once again.
United Out To Roo-in Wenger’s Day
Manchester United travel to the Emirates in the knowledge that a win could provide a critical blow to the title hopes of one of their Premier League rivals. We may only be in the early weeks of November, but the stakes are already that high.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s charges rarely fail to go for the jugular in these circumstances. You can bet the Scottish manager will be inspiring his troops to get the right result at a time when the Gunners are struggling at home and in Europe.
This determination to claim United’s first win at the Emirates Stadium was borne out by the side Ferguson selected for the mid-week Champions League game with Celtic.
The team that took the pitch at Parkhead for the 1-1 draw was lacking several of its usual star names. Players such as Dimitar Berbatov, Anderson, Patrice Evra and Wayne Rooney warmed the bench on a cold Glasgow night.
The Red Devils put in a stuttering performance in their absence, going behind to a delightful lob from Scott McDonald in the early minutes of the match. Relentless pressure from the away team ensured, but the Bhoys goalkeeper Artur Boruc was hardly forced into making a save before Ryan Giggs finally broke Celtic’s resistance in the 84th minute.
Introducing Berbatov and Rooney to the fray changed the course of this match as Nani and Carlos Tevez struggled to fill their void.
Rooney should be a particularly effective weapon for United against the Gunners. He has always proved a nuisance to Wenger’s team, with the ex-Everton man continuing this run by scoring in the 4-0 FA Cup 5th round win last season.
A repeat of this kind of display could launch United closer to Chelsea and Liverpool and leave Arsenal stranded outside of the title race.
FORM GUIDE
Arsenal:
5th November vs. Fenerbahçe (H) drew 0-0 (CHAMP LG)
1st November vs. Stoke City (A) lost 2-1 (PREM)
29th October vs. Tottenham Hotspur (H) drew 4-4 (PREM)
26th October vs. West Ham United (A) won 2-0 (PREM)
21st October vs. Fenerbahçe (A) won 5-2 (CHAMP LG)
Manchester United:
5th November vs. Celtic (A) drew 1-1 (CHAMP LG)
1st November vs. Hull City (H) won 4-3 (PREM)
29th October vs. West Ham United (H) won 2-0 (PREM)
25th October vs. Everton (A) drew 1-1 (PREM)
21st October vs. Celtic (H) won 3-0 (CHAMP LG)
TEAM NEWS
Arsenal:
Arsene Wenger is in the midst of an injury crisis as he welcomes United to the Emirates Stadium. Captain William Gallas (thigh) and Theo Walcott (shoulder) are rated as having only a ‘50-50’ chances of playing, Bacary Sagna (knee) is also a doubt, whilst Mikael Silvestre (broken nose) may be risked against his old side. Emmanuel Eboue (knee) and Emmanuel Adebayor (knee) join Eduardo Da Silva (broken leg) and Tomas Rosický (hamstring) on the Gunners treatment list. Robin Van Persie’s red card against Stoke denies Wenger of his services for this game.
Last starting XI (vs. Fenerbahçe.): Fabianski, Toure, Djourou, Silvestre (Song Billong 83), Clichy, Ramsey (Diaby 59), Fabregas, Denilson, Nasri, Bendtner (Vela 59), Van Persie.
Subs Not Used: Mannone, Sagna, Wilshere, Gibbs.
Squad: Almunia, Fabianski, Mannone, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Djourou, Silvestre, Song Billong, Clichy, Ramsey, Diaby, Fabregas, Denilson, Nasri, Wilshere, Gibbs, Walcott, Bendtner, Vela.
Manchester United:
United right back’s Gary Neville (undisclosed) and Wes Brown (thigh) both have a good chance of making in to the Ferguson's squad for this game. Edwin Van Der Sar should take back the goalkeeper’s jersey from Ben Foster after being rested for the trip to Celtic. Owen Hargreaves (knee) and Paul Scholes (knee) stay on the sidelines as they slowly recover from long term injuries.
Last starting XI (vs. Celtic): Foster, Rafael Da Silva (Evra 66), Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Carrick, Nani (Berbatov 46), Tevez (Rooney 71), Giggs.
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Anderson, Park, Evans.
Squad: Van Der Sar, Kuszczak, Foster, Rafael Da Silva, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evans, Neville, Brown, O'Shea, Anderson, Park, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Carrick, Giggs, Nani, Berbatov, Tevez, Rooney.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Arsenal:
Cesc Fabregas’ goal scoring start to last season set up the Gunners’ title charge. His ineffectual displays this term have stunted Arsenal’s challenge in its infancy. On current form, it’s hard to even justify his place in a central midfield crying out for a defensive influence. With Arsene Wenger facing a striking crisis for this game, Fabregas needs to get back to his best and dust off his shooting boots.
Manchester United:
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