Did Arsene know we wouldn’t beat Man U?
10 comments April 12th, 2006
Is that why he left the likes of Campbell and Reyes out of the squad entirely, with Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljungberg on the bench? Perhaps Harry Redknapp got it right when he suggested that Arsene saves his best sides for the games he thinks he can win. At this stage of the season, an injury to any of the aforementioned (perhaps with Sol excluded) could be disastrous. A fairly innoccuous defeat to Man U might be worth it if it means winning the rest of our Premiership games.
It was a strange match. For the first 20 minutes, we bossed it, looking like the side who’d beaten Real and Juventus. But then we tired very quickly, and the early enterprise of Fabregas and Hleb diminished rapidly.
On the day, the difference was that they had Wayne Rooney, and for a large portion of the game we didn’t have Thierry Henry. Rooney scored one and created a second for Park, but it was no disaster.
We didn’t play badly at all, and it’s important that we don’t get on the players’ back for losing one game after the way they’ve performed in recent weeks. Neither should Arsene be blamed for resting Thierry – there’s obviously a long-term plan to all this.
Tonight it’s Portsmouth away, and a vital game in hand. Expect Sol Campbell to come in, with up to six other changes making it an unfamiliar side. Let’s just hope we’re on Song…
