Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher
makes no apology for getting away with his challenge on Arsenal's
Andrey Arshavin on Saturday.
Fletcher must live forever with the red card he picked up
at the Emirates Stadium in May which stopped him appearing in the
Champions League final.
The Scot has taken his disappointment manfully, refusing to be
crushed by such a blow.
But after suffering such a setback, he is not going to start
worrying about the ones he gets away with.
"I went for the challenge and felt I got the ball," Fletcher
said.
"Maybe I am due a bit of luck after what happened in the
Champions League semi-final last season.
"These things happen in football. I know I played a bit of the
ball and a bit of the man but in the heat of the moment you are not
100% sure."
Fletcher again put in a performance that confirmed his growing
reputation as one of the most influential midfield players in the
Premier League.
Arsene Wenger was probably singling out the Dalkeith-born star
when he declared "someone had committed 20 fouls and didn't even
get booked," but the fact remains when United needed solidity in
their midfield, Fletcher provided it. When they required drive,
they got that too.
"I enjoy the challenge of playing against Arsenal," he said. "I
did my usual thing. I got about people and tried to raise the tempo
of the game.
"I put tackles in and tried to get the guys playing a little
bit. It is no different to what I do in other games but it
sometimes gets noticed more in big games."
Fletcher is certainly getting noticed more, with many believing
his absence in Rome was responsible for United being completely
overrun by Barcelona's magnificent Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
Certainly, there was little time for Arsenal to get themselves
on the ball, even if Arshavin made the most of space he found so
regularly before half-time, after which he faded dramatically.
Fletcher will continue to stress the need for a sensible
approach, questioning why United went four-against-four in attack
at the end, risking victory in a desire for more goals, only an
offside flag denying Robin van Persie right at the death.
"We got carried away with the fans and the emotion," he
said.
"We were winning the game but we were lucky because we nearly
threw it away."
However, the voice of reason is also backing Wayne Rooney to
ensure a belated transition from Cristiano Ronaldo as penalty taker
after the hiccup of a miss by Michael Carrick at Burnley.
"We have a lot of penalty takers who have scored penalties. But
Wayne likes to take penalties and is a fantastic penalty taker. He
grabbed the ball and scored so hopefully he will go on a run taking
them now."
teamtalk.
