As Daniel Wellbeck scored the winning goal yesterday for Arsenal against United, how Arsene Wenger would have thumped his fist, justifying once again his transfer policy; ‘I bought the one deemed surplus to requirements and he has come back to hunt them’
Advantage Arsenal in the title race. Adrenaline Arsenal for the Monaco game.
It’s either Arsene Wenger chooses the games to motivate his players or his players are self motivated when it comes to crunch games. As I watched Arsenal slug it out with Manchester United at Old Trafford in the FA Cup, I have only ever seen this current Arsenal team play as well as they did tonight, once: against Manchester City on Sunday 18th January 2015.
But why do the Arsenal players wait until their backs are to the wall to produce the goods?
Is it a lack of motivation? Or is it just a lack of focus? – we will qualify for champions league anyway syndrome?
On the 17th January, all direct competition for Arsenal had won their games respectively: Southampton, Manchester United, Tottenham, West Ham, and Liverpool all won leaving Arsenal 6th on the league table.
Arsenal knew that only a win against Man City would keep them relevant in the league and keep their champions league hopes alive, and they fought like wounded lions; sitting back, soaking all the pressure and then hitting Man City on the break.
Arsenal played like it was the last game of the season and everything depended on it, making the City team look ordinary and toothless on the night and yesterday, they did it again to United.
Manchester was the city again, but the reds of Manchester were on the receiving end this time around. Arsenal were just too energetic for Man Utd: they hustled, hurried and harassed the opposition as United were harried all night.
Can Arsenal produce this A game in Monaco? Can they produce this performance week in and week out in the league? If they do so in Monaco, they need not worry about the half time scores against Monaco in the champions league as it is now, and if they play every game the same way in the Premier league, then champions league football is a guarantee again next season.
But can Wenger motivate and inspire his squad to play this way, every game? Time would tell.
VAN FULL OF INJURIES AND SUSPENSIONS
I have said that the Premiership, and what is looking like the 2nd title (the 4th champions league spot) would probably be decided by injuries, suspensions and fixture congestion.
After incurring yet further wounds in yesterday’s battle against Arsenal, VAN GAAL must be rueing his VAN full of injuries and suspensions in key areas.
His team goes into the weekend’s head to head with Tottenham without Johnny Evans, Angel DiMaria, Luke Shaw and Robin Van Persie, some of which are self inflicted wounds.
Off the field, their problems continue to mount.
What happened to the Old Trafford fans who spurred their team on to win games in the dying seconds of a game? What happened to the 12th Man that helped his team to snatch a draw against even the most formidable opposition?
Has the 12th man in the theatre of dreams become the oppositions ally?
The problem is not Van Gaal or the director’s chair, the problem is the fans and their expectations.
This team was not even in contention for anything last season, out of sync with modern football and with the threat of extinction after the Feeguson era.
In come Van GAAL and he is fighting to get results and re-establish United again as a European superpower, yet the fans are throwing the toys out of the pram on a daily basis, and on match days, heightening tensions on the pitch during game time.
Don’t the fans understand this is exactly when the manager and the players need the 12th man the most? Don’t they get it that this team is fighting for survival for the next three years, on and off the field?
Someone better explain to them that whatever happens on the field between now and the end of the season would have a profound effect on future signings, the United brand, projected revenue and club pride
United fans have to be patient for the football they want and just rally around the players and manager now that they’re close to champions league football otherwise it’s Thursday league for next season.
It’s time to get behind King Louis.
LIVERPOOL TAKE THE EXTRA MILE
Liverpool 0 Blackburn 0
The reality of the FA Cup means another game, an extra game that managers detest.
Who needs more as the premiership top 7 spots is as tight as it can ever be?
The bigger problem is that the replay comes 3 days after Brendan Rogers takes his team to the Emirates in a crucial tie that would be a determinant as to who takes the vital champions league spots.
Brendan has not been very skilful in rotating his players for the back to back big games (cue Real Madrid game and Chelsea game earlier on in the season and there was Europa league Besiktas and Chelsea)
I hope he gets it right this time around as he faces the devil and the deep blue sea next month in those two crucial games: the lure of Wembley or the bright lights of the cities in big European nights
Who says he can’t have both?