The juggernauts of English football clashed at the Emirates, where previously this was the game every single fan in England looked forward to as it was a game where there was bad blood, clashes between fans, managers, players, throwing of pizzas? Well you get the general idea. It was really a tale of two halves, whereby the first was just a dour one, not much 'pezzaz' but the second half was absolutely momentous, a really funtastic 45 minutes where it had almost everything. Even the atmosphere generated by both sets of fans was astounding. I won't really waste time going in depth into the match report, so let's looks at the aftermath.
1. United are better at handling injuries, in short, Squad Depth is better
Most of the players of the United team who were out would walk in to most, if not all teams in the Premier League. Fletcher, Hernandez, Ferdinand, Vidic, and not to mention the lack of a proper playmaker in the team. Ah ha, I hear someone saying that 'Eh Phil Jones aso injured lah, he damn good'. Alright, I admit, he is a very good player, but Ferguson has got to put him in his proper position, be it in the centre of defense or in midfield. The old man has to decide, and fast but now that the boy is injured, he will have time to decide but decide he MUST. On the issue of squad depth, yes United are not that bad, but City are the Kings when it comes to having reserves in the tank. The whole of the league can just stand back and watch.
2. Arsenal have been hit with injuries which even City or United would've failed to handle.
Sagna, Jenkinson, Gibbs, Santos all out with Chamakh and Gervinho at the Nations Cup. Well other teams have also been hit with players representing their respective countries at the ACN and Newcastle have probably suffered the most. Let me provide an analogy. Say if United had Evra, Rafael, Smalling and maybe Fabio out, who would be drafted in to play at the full back positions? Probably Valencia and erh Giggs? Well there you go, but there's no use talking about 'If's', 'but's', or 'maybe's'. You have to handle whatever is in front of you, and Arsenal have failed to do so. Add to that the fact the transfer window has been opened for the best part of three weeks suggests that Mr Wenger is going senile. He could've got in at least a player to come in for a two months or so at left back, but he brought in Henry, and the King is now injured as well.
3. Both the top clubs in England were involved in the match at the Etihad, not the Emirates.
Well well, many United fans will be cursing me for this, but the rational ones would agree with me to an extent. Plain and simply put, the midfield of both City and Spurs are the best in the league, full stop. Manchester United's midfield duo are the weakest compared to the top 5 or 6 clubs. The likes of Carrick and Anderson/Scholes/Giggs just does not cut the mustard when it comes to the 'creme de la creme' of the Premier League. Picture this. Yaya Toure, Gareth Barry and David Silva on one side. Next you have the trio of Parker, Modric and Van Der Vaart for Spurs. To be honest, even the midfield of the SportsDirect Arena sounds better with Tiote and Cabaye. The papers this morning said that United might be in for Modric, but with the form Spurs are in, I doubt the little Croat would even consider leaving White Hart Lane.
4. United have to revert to the way they played at the beginning of the season.
At the start of the current campaign, the style of football played by United was breathtaking, marvelous 'tippy-tappy' football which left teams in their wake. The gung-ho style was thrown out the window the day they got raped and humbled at Old Trafford when the Blues put SIX goals past them, yes that day. Although that day was a real torture for the fans, it still made Ferguson rethink his tactics and that has made him resort to a more conservative approach. As a fan of slick football, I hope Fergie goes back to his style at the start, as that was also the period of time that a certain Wayne Rooney was on fire. When the tactics were changed, Rooney was deployed in a more withdrawn role which has seen his effect neutralised as well as the goals drying up, not forgetting the arguments he had with the Boss. Fergie, for the good of United, please revert, please.
5. Arsene has to leave, and leave soon.
The time has come for 'Le Professor' to leave Arsenal and the Emirates. He looks like an old man who has run out of ideas and really does not know what to do. I will stress the fact that his inability, or rather stubbornness of that has caused the club big time, and the decision of not bringing at least a single full back in the current window speaks volumes. I have never in my life called for the removal of Arsene Wenger as the man has done wonders for the club and probably made Arsenal what it is today. That being said, there has to be an end to every chapter so that a new one can be written. That time is now, and I'm sorry but Mr Wenger has to be shown the door. Arsenal will most likely miss out on the top four spot, which could also mean goodbye to RVP and future signings. The question remains as to whether Wilshere will stay long after he sees big names heading for the exit. Oxlade-Chamberlain is a wonderful player, and he puts Theo Walcott to shame. There are many managers who could come in and turn the club around. Personally, Van Basten would be a great choice, though there's always Guus Hiddink waiting in the wings, together with Frank Rijkaard or maybe even Dennis Bergkamp. You do not need to be Albert Einstein to manage a football team, but you cannot be an Average Joe either.
Interesting times ahead in the league indeed. The race is still on, its just a question of who wants it more.
Till next time,
Sayonara.
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