I’m glad I dragged myself out of bed for the 1.30 kick off on Setanta today, utterly shattered from the late and draining night watching Hatton. The final whistle blew on Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat away to Middlesbrough, who were eighteenth in the league before today’s match, losing eight of the fifteen games they’d played. League positions went out of the window as Boro walked out on the field today, and were gifted an early goal thanks to Toure’s needless foul on former Gooner, Aliadiere. Downing scored the penalty, just, and from that moment on, Boro had the confidence to take the game to Arsenal, who although top of the league, couldn’t handle the onslaught of this struggling side .
On Wednesday, United were three points behind Arsenal, plus their game in hand. Ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Newcastle, Sir Alex Ferguson spoke confidently about our title challenge, boldly saying, “Arsenal are playing well, but it’s a long season and they know that, too. They will drop points, there’s no doubt about that.” That evening, Arsenal drew in a game where they were more grateful of the point than their opposition, following a cracking Newcastle display, in contrast to the uninspired game Arsenal played. Four days later, and Arsenal are losing out on all three points to relegation fodder.
Now, this is a result we, as United fans, can be all too familiar with, following our 1-0 defeat against Bolton the week before last. We went to the Reebok without five of our first choice eleven players, with no Neville, Vidic, Scholes, Rooney and Ronaldo, and we just didn’t have the edge required to leave with any points. We lost due to a defensive error from Pique at the back, who was filling in for the injured Nemanja, and despite having fourteen shots to their three, sixty percent of the possession to their forty, we were missing too many of our creative players to get a goal. Fair do’s, we couldn’t dwell on it, and we certainly were not allowed to use injuries as an excuse. We were dubbed a one/two man team, thanks to the injuries of Rooney and Ronaldo, and Arsenal were dubbed even stronger favourites.
United fans were quick to question how capable Arsenal would be if they were missing so many key players as we had been, but it was ignored by the media and their fans. We questioned the capabilities of their squad, but they had no chance to answer, until today. Arsenal faced Middlesbrough with no Fabregas, van Persie, Flamini and Hleb, and crumbled. Boro dominated the possession, 55%-45%, dominated the shots on target, 8-4, and total shots, 14-7. Now this isn’t to take anything away from the North East side, who played extremely well, but Arsenal just looked poor. They were losing out on most fifty fifty balls, they didn’t test the goalkeeper until the fourth minute of injury time when they scored their consolation goal, and were easily the second best team throughout the match.
This was the perfect result and performance ahead of “Super Sunday” next weekend, when we face the dippers and Arsenal host Chelsea. We now have a superior goal difference and are just one point behind. The psychological effect of going from a potential six points ahead to just one in the space of four days could be massive, and results going our way next weekend could be the final blow we need to take us through Christmas and the New Year in a favourable position.
There’s a long way to go and nothing is decided yet, but Arsenal have just fallen as we knew they would. Whilst the press talked them up, whilst their fans called them the Unbeatables mark II, anyone in the real World could predict they couldn’t carry on that way forever, particularly if they endured injuries, like their rivals. But I imagine even Fergie couldn’t have anticipated how early his prediction would come in to fruition.
United and Chelsea are in the same boat next week, both guaranteed top spot in their Champions League group, both traveling to a top four team’s ground. Arsenal have secured their place in the next round of Europe, but need a win and Sevilla’s failure to win to finish top. Liverpool’s progression in the competition is the most fragile, needing a win against the team ahead of them to go through, and a draw almost certainly not being enough for them to make it to the next round. Probably Arsenal, and certainly Liverpool, will be playing their strongest side midweek, giving both United and Chelsea the advantage. United beat Liverpool, Arsenal drop points to Chelsea, and we’re top. What a difference a week makes…
How many weeks until United are top of the league again?
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For the record most Arsenal fans have not considered the present team “unbeatables 2″ at this pint of the season I think that’s down to the media and you Mancs, we were quite satisfied at how well our team were doing considering again the media and yourselves enjoyed writing us off when TH14 had decided to leave. All this just goes to show how relieved you lot are that we’ve had a minor blip.
Of course we’re relieved. This evening we should be six points behind, but we’re only one point behind. Arsenal have dropped five points in five days, so yes, we certainly are happy to be one more Arsenal “blip” away from being top of the league.
Actually, I don’t think many of us United fans were writing Arsenal off before the season began. Sir Alex himself said Arsenal can not be written off despite Henry going. And as we are finding out, Sir Alex knows best. A lot of us drew comparisons with us selling Ruud and being written off the year before and then going on to storm the premiership. And our minor blips normally result in coming back with a win, your minor blip was against Newcastle and this is how you have come back?
It’s a long season and lets not forget chelsea but remember early last season when Arsenal played us off the park? This season we are stronger and were visibly the better team. I have my money on Man U for the title. What about you?
I’ve always said this: Arsenal are lucky to be top. I’m not saying they haven’t played really good stuff and don’t deserve it but they are fortunately gifted with late late goals. I saw a hypothetical table of what would happen if a game were 80 minutes and Arsenal were way down. All credit to them for putting pressure until the last minute but you can’t rely on last minute winners/equalizers all the time.
Today’s game wasn’t about luck though. Middlesbrough were the better team working their socks off
United will be top next week! Liverpool exhausted and depressed after losing to Marseille (go Cisse), Chelsea holding Arsenal to a draw (1-1)…United at the top.
Arsenal score a lot of late goals because they have run other teams ragged for the previous 80 minutes and they don’t have the legs to last out in the end (e.g. Wigan).
The fact is that we lost without four of our best players against Boro, but partly because of selection & tactical errors: playing 2 holding midfielders robbed us of creative guile, and Eduardo is not suited to a 2nd striker role. We looked much better after Denilson and Walcott came on, and Bendtner should probably have played from the start in the last 2 games. I didn’t think we were completely unbeatable or infallible. But the relish with which you lot have treated us dropping points when we are suffering a mini injury crisis does smack a little bit of jealousy; it goes back to Wenger;s arrival, that ‘how can anyone be as good as us’ attitude. Most of us know the media w**king over us is crap; they’ll turn on us and brand us bottlers now for losing with half our team out injured. Why Utd fans get so jealous whenever we get any praise is beyond me.
As for the ‘Arsenal are lucky to be top’ comment, that just pretty much sums it up. What crap. You lot lost 2 matches before we’d lost any; we deserve credit for that. And the one difference that maybe does exist is that you lot are extremely reliant on 2 players in a way I don’t think we are. Your record shows, no Ronaldo or Rooney, usually no win. Now, we went to Villa and played some blinding stuff without Van Persie and Fabregas, who are probably their counterparts for us. I think that our attacking players generally offer a bit more individual threat. On the other hand, you have a better goalie and defence than us, so it’s probably about even between the 2 sides. As for the Chelsea game, we’ll see. They have no Drogba either, who has been our toughest opponent over recent years. If we have at least 2 of the 4 mentioned players back, we should be OK.
70′sGooner makes a real crappy point in implying that untied fans had written off Arsenal after Thierry Henry left, I for one talked up a resurgence for them, that whole thing about players coming out of his shadow and all of that stuff- another silly silly Arsenal fan bleating on with self-righteous fancy, foolish the lot of you.
Yeah, to be fair, I heard Fergie say we’d do better without him & some of your fans said the same. Think it was more the media & those Spurs fans getting ideas above their station about how they were gonna finish above us now Henry’d gone when they couldn’t manage it when he was injured for most of the previous season anyway. This weekend’s results were as disappointing for me as the weekend when you lost to Bolton was as enjoyable, but it doesn’t change my opinion really: Arsenal and Utd are pretty much on the same very high level, and it should be hammer & tongs all the way in the title race.
PS Question for all you Utd fans. Chelsea under Avram Grant: Revived title challengers, or only unbeaten for so long now cos they’ve hardly faced anyone decent during that time and the best side they have played held them at the Bridge (think you’ll know from the way I phrased that question what I think!)
arsenal lost because they did not have their key key players and it was their 3rd away game in 8 days. even we could’nt have got a win at boro with extreme tiredness. Arsenal will always be up their at the end of the leagu and they will be a challenge to the title without doubt.
They play amazing football on their day and i am still not writting them off the title race1
Man U is just riding off their depth in the squad….Hence, it is always in the winter/Christmas break that we see manu top because other teams cannot compete with the depth of the squad at ManU…Maybe if the winter break was implement, ManU might only settle out of top 4 since we see the likes of Portsmouth,Aston Villa and ManCity can do after a short break…
pls remind me if arsenal have beaten any top team away from home.they were thrashed by sevilla,a team 16th in the spanish league.the reason arsenal struggle in the UCL is the are not able to beat top teams.
Like you lot home and away last year?
Like you lot home and away last year? As for the strength of you squad, you have only three strikers and struggle whenever Rooney and Ronaldo ain’t playing…yeath, that’s deep.
I think anyone who can’t say that United and Arsenal aren’t playing top football this season is playing silly beggars. That said, I do think SAF brings up an interesting point as to whether Arsenal can maintain the football they have been playing.
Surely, it’s clear that both teams are making this a great season, however, neither team is down to a couple of players. As Scott said, the Bolton loss boasted more than just Rooney and Ronaldo out – United have had 1/2 their first team out on the injury bench at more than one point this season. I don’t think that injuries can be an excuse though, for either side. And I think thats why the 13 comments above are predominately downplaying the injury card – as they should do. If your team can’t cope with injuries, they’re not the strongest side. And so while the season is hardly even half done yet, there will surely be more injuries to come for both sides. That’s a given. The challenge will be to see who copes with that inevitable best.
Dion.yea mate keep talking and enjoy your last week on top.
Oh and ya we have 3 strikers but the quality difference is miles.compared to who?eduardo,bendtner?rooney,tevez and saha are much better.