A midfield combination of Fabio, Gibson, O’Shea and Rafael might have raised some eyebrows amongst the Red Devil faithful ahead of today’s match. No Nani, Anderson, Rio or Park available. Fletcher, Carrick, Scholes, and Giggs look to be saved for the Champions League on Tuesday.
Arsenal, too, are missing key players such as Fabregas, Song, Szczesny and Walcott. Improvisation would be key for both squads.
Would the twins be a worthy gamble on the wing?
Yes, indeed they were, as here are five quick reactions to today’s 2-0 win.
First, it’s always brilliant to beat Arsenal and add pressure on Wenger, who, with mounting injuries seem primed to drop points once their EPL campaign resumes after yet another disappointment.
Sir Alex’s pre-match prediction that whoever won would likely take the Premiership title was perfectly calculated to wind up the press and mount even more stress on the seriously one-dimensional Arsenal. The expression on Wenger’s face was worth a thousand words after the match. How can the Gunners recover when the manager needs a therapist?
Second, today came down primarily to tactics, with both sides unable to field anything near their first-choice squad due to numerous injuries.
Immediately it became clear that both da Silvas would push forward with their respective gas tanks not-to-exceed 65 minutes and Rooney would seek to link play and drop back into central midfield when United loose possession to partner with Irish duo.
Arsenal would stress possession and fluidity, while United would play tight and look for the dangerous counter.
Yet again, Fergie gets the better of Wenger both in the short- and long-run, as the victory knocks the North Londoners out of the FA Cup and Brown, Gibson, and O’Shea eat up valuable minutes for a tired central midfield core ahead of the Champions League and EPL campaigns. Sir Alex is that master of calculated risk, as evidenced yet again today. Who would have envisioned United creating so many chances given the lineup? Not me, for one.
Fourth, Arsenal demonstrates they only know how to play one way: possession football that requires plenty of space. If you play compact and counter against the Gunners, teams can get a result against Wenger’s men as evidenced by Birmingham in the Carling Cup Final. As today’s commentators stressed, Arsenal have yet to find the right team mix between attack and defense, with the latter lacking sorely when they need it most.
Fourth, welcome back, Antonio! Valencia played an excellent 45 minutes today, as he was one of the better players on the park in the second half. His return couldn’t have come at a better time after Nani’s injury.
What a blessing to see his pace, strength, and crosses from the right wing. United have missed consistent crossing from wide players and this should add greater menace to the United attack.
And last, United rebound from disappointment yet again with a total team effort, as it’s been something like nine years since the Red Devils have lost three on the trot, an absolutely remarkable stat.
Many, many players deserve special recognition after the victory:
• Vidic and Smalling were immense in the heart of defense.
• Van der Sar was a rock star and MOTM.
• O’Shea and Gibson largely played well in shielding the back four.
• Da Silva twins did really well with their newfound freedom to press forward, as evidenced by Fabio’s timely rebound-stab-goal from Chicharito’s header.
• Chicharito was a tireless runner whom the Arsenal back line needed to track all afternoon. This edge created the space for the da Silva’s, Rooney, and others to join the effective counter attack.
• Rooney looked brilliant tracking back for the ball and linking the attack. He, too, demonstrated boundless energy moving forward and could easily have had a hat trick with the form he possessed last year. Wazza couldn’t choose a better time to hit form than the present, with so much still at stake.
This well-deserved victory keeps double and treble hopes alight ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Marseille.
Yet again, Ferguson demonstrates his uncanny ability to mix the alchemy of his tactics and squad selection just right, with key players rested, valuable minutes given squad players, and a calculated gamble that lead to a menacing counter attacking victory.
Every single one of us loves Sir Alex Ferguson indeed.
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I’ll be back at you after the Marseille match. Cheers.
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