Can't believe no one has started this yet. This looks to be a perlious fixture for the Gunners, coming on the heels of a confidence shattering CL tie three days ago, and no Sol (due to his father's sudden death). I hope for a draw but I dread what may actually happen on Sunday: 1-2 to the bad. GK: Lehmann D: Keown, Toure, Cole, Lauren M: Parlour, Edu, Viera, Ljungberg F: Henry, Wiltord I know, its pretty unlikely that Pires won't start but if I was playing Championship Manager for this match that would be my lineup.
I agree confidence is key. But historically bad performances in Europe have had NO effect on our league play. That will not change Sunday. I think we have two basically defensive flaws now-our wing-backs getting caught too far down the pitch, and crosses played in from the deep wing. Right now ManU simply don't have the team to exploit these weaknesses-epecially if Scholes and Solskajer are out which looks likely, and even without Sol(again you're all in our thoughts and prayers) Keown is more than up to handling RVN. The only real danger is set-pieces-as it Charlton found out. United have no real depth now unless Fergie makes some surprise moves, and its width that is hurting us, certainly in domestic play. And our attack will benefit from the larger pitch and more open spacing. Ferdinand is a great aerial defender but not nearly so effective against pace or mobility on the ball. And O'Shea or Silvestre will be glued to Henry and unable to support him with Wiltord and Ljungberg blowing past him. And Howard been excellent but his strengths are in the air(despite the error at St. Mary's)while we have no real aerial threat. And while he's very quick off his line, I'm betting Henry or Wiltord or even Freddie beat him to the ball and round him AT LEAST once. If we are confident and take the inevitable early chance we win 2-0 or 3-1. Believe it...
I think he is most likely out, which is a shame. My condolences go out to him and his family. From a footballing perspective it is unfortunate also, because a solid game against top competition could have got our man Sol back on track.
I can't wait for this game. I've got about 10 people coming to my apt to watch the game on pay-per-view. A few of them are ManUre supporters and one is my school's soccer coach. Should be a good time, especially since me might be picking up a pony keg for the game.
although the pairing of Toure and Keown scares me to death.. i think a key part of the game will be to see if AC3 or Lauren can stay in position... lately, ashley has been embarrased on the left side and Lauren continues to be caught upfield.... spoze we dont have any real cover tho for those positions.... maybe AW will tell them to STAY AT HOME and play more conservatively........ ya right!!!!!!! lol... still go with sylvain upfront?? im SURE bergkamp gets a run in this one... phishy~
from cnnsi.com: "After winning four games in a row, Arsenal has faltered and goes to defending champion United at Old Trafford on Sunday knowing another flop could seriously damage its chances of getting the Premier League title back from the Reds. Wenger's team leads the Reds by one point." yeah, trailing the top spot by two points is really being in a tough postion. Can these guys stop hyping the hell out of everything?
It is those plastic round balls filled with beer that people get. a rip off b/c a 1/4 keg gives you 2x more beer at nearly the same price..
I'm with The Gooner... 2-1 to Utd. I know it pains me to say it, but sports are about momentum and with Sol's father passing and us getting spanked by Inter...I just don't see it in the cards. The next month worth of matches is going to be huge...it all starts with Merchandise Utd at Old Trafford. Praying for a win, but will be happy with a draw.
T-minus 77 minutes till kickoff~~~ already ave a nice buzz workin and wishing we ad some sort of pre-game coverage.. argh.....
The one thing that worries me (more than I'd usually be worried about manu) is RVN's recent statements that he's going to start getting out of Ronaldo's way. That kid can dribble with the best of them and he could be extremely dangerous if he's being allowed to take a freer role. With Sol out, the monkey-man is going to have an inspired performance and his 37-year-old legs will carry us to defensive stability. I predict 3-1 us with Henry getting the third in a last-minute counter attack. Unfortunately, my crystal ball has already become hazy from my pre-game herbal wram-up and I can't say who has the other goals.