Comments on: Arsenal 1 – 3 Manchester United: Dot Dot Dot

By: Piotr

Piotr — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:14:30 +0000

Very true

By: A.

A. — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:50:22 +0000

Anderson may try to be Davids but he ends up being Mazinho.

By: Brad

Brad — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:26:17 +0000

I certainly see parallels between Wenger and Ferguson in a sense that they’re both idealists. Well, at least Fergie was. I think we all remember the gung ho, all-action United of the past, keeping true to the United philosophy of entertaining football. But soon he realized you couldn’t win this way in Europe. So he scrapped that style and went the pragmatic route and now, they’re going to their 2nd consecutive final.

I think Wenger is in a similar situation in his career. Granted, he’s found success with his philosophy albeit not with children. But the point is Fergie was able to make this change for the greater good: winning. And I feel that Wenger’s pride and insistence that his way is the right way is what will keep Arsenal from winning any time soon.

By: matt

matt — Wed, 06 May 2009 09:52:32 +0000

Anderson probably has to change his bedding in the night because of the excess style venting from his pores. It seems odd/ridiculous that anyone might perceive him as some sort of workmanlike player.

Rooney has style too – a sort of bold brash cubism perhaps – but it’s there alright. And Carrick has a certain elegance.

By: j

Wed, 06 May 2009 07:18:16 +0000

it could be argued that if any style of football were to maintain legitimacy despite an empty trophy cabinet, it’s Monsieur Wenger’s; striving for the eye’s and libido’s affections as opposed to the heart’s and passions’. ask a non-Gooner their 2nd favorite team; i bet you the damn farm they say Arsenal. i also don’t know what situation it would take to actually force Wenger from his post; certainly no one of the Arsenal boardroom would push the button, leaving only the manager himself to decide when enough has been enough. I’d guess maybe if Gooner Nation’s voice rises loud enough, then maybe he vacates, otherwise? i dunno.

and Anderson absolutely has style.

By: A.

A. — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:24:50 +0000

Exactly my thoughts. ‘Style’ comes from the midfield and who plays there for Man Utd? Park, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson and a backtracking Rooney on the left, who’s stylish out of that lot?

By: Brandon C

Brandon C — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:22:17 +0000

Elliot said:

“Not everyone will agree with me, but Arsenal’s success during the invincibles era was largely attributed to Patrick Vieira, an ogre with the grace of a ballerina and the force of a semi-truck.

Henry, Bergkamp, Ljunberg – they could all run wild amidst a hurricane of attacking talent while Patrick sat back and batted down the loose shingles. Ever since then, ahem, Flamini, ahem, things have not been the same”

I think letting Flamini go will rank right up there with Wenger’s worst transfer decisions (note, I’m not an Arsenal fan). He could have filled that nail-hammerer role. Plus, he actually fit in the setup.

By: Elliott

Elliott — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:17:24 +0000

It seems like an eternity since Park carved up Cafu in the CL semifinals and make PSV look capable of beating Milan -

since then, I think its fair to say he is workmanlike, along with O’Shea and Fletcher. None of them are going to make your mouth water, but each has scored key goals even if the closest they come to a stepover is a trip over their own heel

By: A.

A. — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:10:27 +0000

You have to have style in the first place in order to be able to change it. I mean that seriously. Man Utd don’t have style. They are workman-like and athletic, similar to Chelsea, similar to Inter.

By: Kevin from CA

Kevin from CA — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:57:54 +0000

As always, alot of good thoughts and opinions. As a delighted Man Utd fan, I think that Arsenal’s one major flaw had been their inability/refusal to add that one star player that will fill a need. I think that they have finally overcome that by signing Arshavin and if they find an enforcer for the midfield, then they will be very dangerous next year.

That said, I never felt nervous during Arsenal’s opening run. While they knocked the ball around, they lacked the ability/strength to gain position in the center of the field. And after the two goals went in, it seemed that they went exclusively down the flanks. I was also surprised that Wenger didn’t go to a more offensive lineup at the start of the 2nd. Even when he did make his substitutions, it didn’t change the shape. I compare this to what Man Utd did against the Spurs. Down 2-0, he emptied the bench of his offensive stars and overwhelmed them. I expected something similar from Wenger, but it never materialized. I don’t know if that is because of depth, style, or something else, but it definately showed a lack of flexibility. And when you compare Arsenal (or Barca) to Man Utd, that is the difference; the ability to adapt and change styles when necessary.