Archive for September 18th, 2006

Man Utd 0 – 1 Arsenal: Pain of Paris Vanquished with Stunning Display

29 comments September 18th, 2006

In the 86th minute, Cesc Fabregas stole the ball from Ronaldo, ploughed through two challenges, and slid an exsquisite reverse pass beyond Wes Brown. Emmanuel Adbeyaor, breaking off the back of Brown, latched onto the ball and poked it beyond the Polish debutant Tomasz Kuszczak. And my sitting room errupted.

Granted, there was only me and my eleven-year old sister in there, but they could probably still hear me at Old Trafford. After out-playing Manchester United over 90 enthralling minutes, Arsenal had got what they deserved: a win, their first of the season, and one that could ignite the flames of a previously floundering Premiership campaign.

After Gilberto slipped and had his 13th minute penalty saved, Rosicky’s powerful effort was tipped away, and Julio Baptista’s curled finish whipped just wide, I began to think we were going to have to settle for a draw. And what a draw: going into the game, United were huge favourites, and we were being written off by just about every pundit going. Had you asked sane Arsenal fan before the game if they’d have taken a point, and I’m sure they would’ve said yes.

But on the day, even Fergie had to admit we deserved to win. Employing the 4-5-1 formation that served us so well in Europe last season, our fluid pass-and-move game eclipsed United’s midfield entirely. Their problem was simple: unlike Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Man City they attempted to play good football against us. Whilst all our other opponents this season have realised that by sitting back and congesting the midfield they can disturb our triangular passing moves, United came out willing to attack. Consequently, we were given room in which we simply out-passed and out-classed them.

Although it was a fantastic team performance, it’s worth talking about individuals. In goal, Jens Lehmann was absolutely outstanding. He made two quite incredible saves: one with his face after Cristiano Ronaldo had got in at the far post, and another plunging low to his right after Ole Solskjaer was sure he had scored. Although I did become worried he was going to get himself sent off, Lehmann must surely now be universally recognised as one of Europe’s best goalkeepers.

The defence was extremely solid, with the exception of a couple of concentration lapses from Emmanuel Eboué. Johan Djourou and Kolo Toure were immense. Toure in particular played through a painful hip problem as if his life depended on it. At left-back, William Gallas showed his class, and with the addition of the Frenchman we really do have potentially excellent back-line these days.

The sheer number of interceptions Gilberto made in critical situations shows his worth. The 4-5-1 we play is almost a 4-1-4-1, with Gilberto’s discipline allowing the creative players ahead of him the freedom to strut their stuff. Without him, the system would fail. Unlucky with his penalty, he captained the side excellently in another crucial victory.

Out wide, both Alex Hleb and Freddie Ljungberg worked tirelessly to protect their full-backs, whilst also showing a willingness to get forward to support the lone front-man. Hleb was replaced by Julio Baptista, who was finally allowed to play in his preferred position as a support striker, and showed his promise with a couple of surging runs from deep.

In the centre, we are blessed with two wonderful footballing brains in Tomas Rosicky and Cesc Fabregas. Rosicky appears to be a nigh-perfect replacement for Robert Pires. He has the frenchman’s skill and ability to make things happen, but adds a whole lot more in terms of work-rate and impressive tackling. Cesc, another all-round footballer, didn’t have his best ever game for Arsenal, dallying on the ball on a couple of occasions. In spite of this, it was his moment of magic that created the late late winning goal. Arseblogger is right when he says that no other player in our team could’ve placed that pass to such perfection.

And finally, the goalscorer himself, Emmanuel Adebayor. Often criticised for his unpredictable antics in front of gole, the Togolese beanpole proved his mettle with a diligent and measured display. After a couple of erratic flicks, he managed to hold the ball well and link with the supporting midfielders. His power and pace trouble any back line, and if he adds composure in front of goal to an already bulging armoury of talents, he has potential to become an excellent player for Arsenal. More of the same, please.

The fact I’ve been able to talk about every player glowingly shows just how good a performance this was. Ever since the Champions League final defeat, a cloud of melancholy has hovered ominously over the team. After yesterday’s win, it seems to have cleared. The belief is there, and the club is once again brimming with confidence.

Who knows, maybe Thierry’s words before kick-off had the desired effect? Naturally, I don’t want to go overboard, but you get the feeling that this could just be the start of something for this team. We’ve said that before and been wrong, but the significance of a victory like yesterday’s cannot be underestimated. Roll on the next game…


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