Super Sunday - EPL : Arsenal vs Manchester United - Jan 21

last SG · 2007-01-18T11:34:24+00:00

thats what i tot when man utd was going thru a barren spell in the last 3 seasons when arsenal, then chelsea, dominated. check out the list of flops he signe...

iceFatboy SG

if you want Arsenal to win, shouldn't you be in the Arsenal's forum?

iveco SG

I don't think the Arsenal forum even exists. Laughing

iceFatboy SG

sorry, I wasn't trying to be mean or starting a flame war, dragg..

just that i feel if you want to support your team, you should do it in your forum lor.

zocoss SG

Nah... its ok, he was just stating his opinion he won't take offence with that... but we must admit that the gunners are in red hot form right now tho... But then again, man u isn't blackburn are they...

This should be a great match to catch... I am thinking that the gunners weak spot could be their defence... their attack are in great form and their midfield well... good enough i think... so its their defence that could give them a problem... Clichy against Ronaldo this could be the soft spot... Wonder would Gallas be playing... ?

zocoss SG

PREVIEW-Chelsea cross fingers as Arsenal host Man United

LONDON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Arsenal take on old foes and Premier League leaders Manchester United this weekend with champions Chelsea crossing their fingers for a Gunners victory.

Arsenal pose only a distant threat to Chelsea's hopes of a third consecutive league title, but they could help Jose Mourinho's men close a six-point gap on United.

Fourth in the table on 42 points, Arsenal are one point behind Liverpool, nine behind Chelsea and 15 adrift of a United side they beat 1-0 at Old Trafford last September.

Buoyed by League and FA Cup success over Liverpool, plus a 10-man league win at Blackburn Rovers last weekend, Arsenal are in good shape for one of their biggest games of the season.

Thierry Henry is on form, strike partner Emmanuel Adebayor, scorer of that winner in Manchester, is delivering on his potential and there are plenty of goals in the midfielders.

However, Arsenal are handicapped by the injury absence of defender William Gallas, while a suspension for rock-solid Gilberto, following the Brazilian midfielder's red card at Blackburn, will be a real blow on Sunday.

A few years ago, this was a highly combustible fixture which pitted sides led by Roy Keane and the equally combative Patrick Vieira, causing ructions on and off the pitch.

The infamous 'Battle of the Buffet', in which bits of pizza were allegedly thrown at United manager Alex Ferguson, followed the end of Arsenal's record-breaking unbeaten league run of 49 games in October 2004.

A year earlier, another fracas at Old Trafford had led to four Arsenal players being banned and their club fined for the ugly scenes at the end of a 0-0 draw.

Keane and Vieira, along with the more vitriolic rivalry, are now long gone.

SWASHBUCKLING UNITED

However, the Emirates will still host a tightly-contested game between the Premier League's top scoring sides, with United looking to repeat a swashbuckling 4-2 win at Highbury last year.

United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has been superb this season, along with evergreen playmaker Paul Scholes and French striker Louis Saha. Wayne Rooney has a good record against Arsenal since scoring the winner for Everton as a 16-year-old unknown in 2002.

United, who lost the 2005 FA Cup final to Arsenal on penalties, still face a probing test of their away form, though, after taking just four points from their last three league games on the road.

Chelsea will hope to be only three points behind United when that match kicks off on Sunday afternoon, following their own demanding away fixture at Liverpool on Saturday.

Hit by speculation about the future of coach Jose Mourinho and the injury absence of captain John Terry, among others, Chelsea need to show the stuff of champions at Anfield.

Despite their League and FA Cup defeats by Arsenal, Liverpool have won nine and drawn two of their home league games this season and the champions can expect a rough ride in the day's early kickoff.

windjammer SG

ARSEnal 1 - MU 2

Laughing

Dead_Man_Inc SG

Papers: Persie to miss out

Persie To Miss Utd Clash
Robin van Persie is set to miss Sundays clash with Manchester United. Arsenals Dutch strike ace faces a week on the sidelines after suffering a knock in training. But his absence means Togo hitman Emmanuel Adebayor, who bagged the winner at United in September, is being lined up to start at The Emirates. Boss Arsene Wenger is hoping Van Persie who has bagged five goals in six games will be back for the Carling Cup clash with North London rivals Spurs next Wednesday.
Steve Brenner, The Sun

Dead_Man_Inc SG

Man Utd will have a difficult game…

zocoss SG

Cesc: Scholes is just Fab

CESC FABREGAS has hailed Paul Scholes as the player he most admires in England.

Arsenals Spanish midfielder will pit his skills against Manchester United in Sundays Premiership showdown and Fabregas is relishing the chance to go head-to-head with his hero.

Rumoured to be the man who put the pizza into Pizzagate when the clubs clashed at Old Trafford two years ago, Fabregas showered his rival with compliments yesterday.

The Gunners star, 19, said: Paul Scholes has had a fantastic season.

He is a very complete, spectacular footballer. He always fights for the ball and tries to lose his marker to help his team-mates either to defend or to have a shot on goal.

For any football player in the Premiership, Scholes is a player you want to emulate.

One player does not make a team but there is no doubt that the presence of some players add extra motivation and confidence.

Scholes is a player with character and is capable of transmitting that mental strength to his team-mates.

I would happily end my career with the medals that Scholes has. He has six league titles, four FA Cups, one European Cup and one Inter-Continental Cup to his name.

I am young and I hope that I will be able to surpass him but it is not going to be easy.

Arsene Wengers side trail the Premiership leaders by 15 points but Fabregas believes he has seen enough improvement at United to suggest they can beat Chelsea to the title.

He said: United are very strong. After two years in England where Chelsea have dominated it seems that they can take them on this time to win the Premier League again.

They have a very complete squad and, right now, they are the team to beat.

They have gained solidity and consistency and they are scoring lots of goals with ease.

iceFatboy SG

at least this game is with good ambience...

imagine a few seasons ago, when each other was trying to go at each others' throat...

hopefully, we get a good game..and of course, break some records..

lpx88 SG

Damn sad…right now Fabregas is the perfect player to replace Scholes when the latter retires. But he’s a gunner.

4getmenot SG

dun bet on it.. we're playing in Emirates.. dun expect any 'good ambience' since both teams still has intense rivalry, although it'll be less hostile than in Anfield.. Twisted Evil

iveco SG

Things are much different now with KEane & Vieira gone.

zocoss SG

Theirry: Scholes is my pick

THIERRY HENRY knows where he will be casting his vote for the PFA Player of the Year.

It goes, without any need for debate, to one of his opponents in tomorrows big showdown at The Emirates Manchester Uniteds Paul Scholes.

Henry believes the rejuvenated Scholes is one of the major reasons why United top the Premiership table.

The Arsenal skipper is naturally curious about life and few things have puzzled him more than the fact the United midfield genius has never won the ultimate honour from his fellow professionals.

Henry has won it twice but Scholes has not had a sniff.

The shy and retiring Scholes would never blow his own trumpet but Henry is happy to do it for him.

He knows that when Scholes is in the opposition, beating United is a more difficult proposition.

Henry said: For years Paul Scholes has been one of the best players in the Premiership.

Hes incredible. Hes come back into the team after his eye injury and hes playing so well, like hes never been away.

"He has always been under-rated throughout his career. Hes a team player a one and two-touch footballer who makes good decisions on the pitch and makes his team play.

I dont understand why he has never won the player of the year. A guy like that should have won it long ago.

dragg SG

i cant wait any longer.

i hope both teams play an attacking game.

may the better team win.

go arsenal, go!!!

go man u, go!!!

Very Happy

iceFatboy SG

-> http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6277931.stm

read Mark Lawro's views... quite interesting..

iceFatboy SG

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says defeat to Manchester United on Sunday would end their title bid.

The Gunners are currently 15 points behind the league leaders, but can reduce the arrears against The Red Devils, live on Sky Sports 1.

The French tactician believes his charges can take heart from their Old Trafford win earlier in the season and is hoping for a repeat at the Emirates.

Arsenal's chances of a double look good after winning all four games played since the turn of the New Year - including a 6-3 Carling Cup win at Liverpool.

Asked if defeat would end the club's quest for the title, Wenger replied: "For us, certainly.

"It's a good opportunity to reduce the distance on Manchester United and we want to use it.

"We are really determined to reduce the gap. We know we can beat United because we've done it away.

"Why shouldn't we do it at home? We're in good form, they are as well, it's a very promising game.

"I think both teams will go for it because United are also a team who try to score goals."

-> http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=442772&CPID=8&clid=3&lid=3&title=Wenger:+Loss+would+end+title+bid&channel=&

iceFatboy SG

read LE Tiss's views.
-> http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=442581&CPID=8&clid=3&lid=1490&title=A+blast+from+the+pass+-+Le+Tiss

I'll start with my prediction on this one - I can see Arsenal winning this.

If there is any side in the Premiership playing with enough confidence to go to the Emirates and win right now it is United, but for me, Arsenal win this.

They are playing some cracking stuff right now, especially at home.

They struggled to get to grips with their new surroundings to start with, but now they are passing the ball so well and as those Liverpool games showed, are a club brimming with confidence.

Arsene Wenger has got all his players playing the same way and while they might not challenge for the title this year, I think they will be a real force next time around.

And I think what we have seen in the past few games is what we can expect next season and what Manchester United can expect on Sunday.

The passing and the movement is great to watch and the younger players seem to revel in the atmosphere at the Emirates.

And then they have Thierry Henry back on song.

That little break seems to have done him the world of good and now he looks 100 per cent and as if he wants to be involved in the game.

And he will want to make a mark in this one to shut those people up who say he goes missing when the big ones come along.

They way Arsenal are playing right now, I am expecting a big things from the Frenchman.

They will need his experience as well because Gilberto Silva is a big loss to suspension, or his presence is at least.

Mathieu Flamini will fill in and won't do a bad job, and Cesc Fabregas seems to grow with every game and everything that's asked of him.

He is up against Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick, who is starting to find his feet, but I still think Fabregas can come out on top.

Having said that, if there is one area United will be looking to exploit it is that Arsenal back four.

They still don't look entirely convincing across the backline and with Ryan Giggs back from a rest and Cristiano Ronaldo flying, the wide areas could be United's best bet.

But they'll need a big game from Wayne Rooney.

I saw him against Villa and he looked well off the pace. His touch was awful, by his standards and he just didn't look like his old self.

It might be off-the-field problems or it might even be the fact that Ronaldo is getting all the headlines, but something looked to be up.

I am sure Sir Alex Ferguson will have had a word because although they are still winning, they are going to need Rooney at his best for the run-in.

Of course, his workrate didn't drop and you wouldn't bet against him having a say here, but I just think the whole Arsenal side is right on its game right now, which is why I can see them edging this.

zocoss SG

Liverpool 2 - 0 Chelsea

Chelsea are cracking up under pressure... Smile

Even if man u lose to gunners at least it will still stay as 6 points... If draw also can if win then bonus lah... Very Happy

Gackt247 SG

Make it 9 pts clear man.. Twisted Evil

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