Monday evening sees the biggest clash of the Premiership thus far, seeing an unpredictable but fluid Arsenal side meet an unpredictable and, so far, distinctively average Manchester United side. Despite the obvious frailties of both clubs in this anarchic season, strangely the meeting at Old Trafford will be a clash between the top two sides in the country. Chelsea’s descent into a mini crisis post-Wilkins has seen both the North London club and United become the Premier League’s first leaders other than Chelsea since mid April.
Arsenal versus Manchester United hardly needs any more outside influence to captivate fans of both clubs and neutrals alike. It is widely regarded as the purist’s fixture of the season, a game that rarely fails to deliver a sumptuous helping of the arts of our beautiful game. Arsenal’s delicate approach play meets the rapier thrust of United in the only game in the season you can almost guarantee will not finish goalless. Yet despite all the obvious attractions on the Old Trafford, the Enfant Terrible of French football Patrice Evra has managed to add a little more fuel to the fire.
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Speaking to French TV station Canal Plus, Evra dismissed the challenge of Arsenal, referring to Arsene Wenger’s side as “a football training centre.” His assault on Arsenal continued as he declared, “I hear them being compared to Barcelona but people in 20 years’ time aren’t going to remember Arsenal’s football. We can lose against them, but at the end of the day, what is there for Arsenal? There is nothing. There are no trophies, there is nothing.” Evra’s words certainly aren’t original thinking – it is a debate that has raged ever since Patrick Vieira won the FA cup with his last kick of a ball for Arsenal. Evra’s word of, “they have won nothing for five years. For me, it’s a crisis, it’s ridiculous,” carry great resonance…but little common sense. It is not the first time that Patrice Evra has attacked Arsenal; after United’s comprehensive victory over Arsenal in the Champions League Semi final in 2009, Evra described the tie as “11 men against 11 children” Which led to something of a kicking by Fabregas and co on the two teams’ next meeting.
Ever the diplomat Wenger understandably took the higher ground, refusing to talk too much about the incident, “We do not want to go into any unneeded talking before a game like that.” He did mention an obvious lack of respect from Evra, “He takes responsibility for what he says. I think that when you want to be a big player you have always got to respect your opponent.” Despite all the obvious furore about the initial comments Evra made it is worth noting that he did praise Arsenal and acknowledge that on their day they can beat both United and Chelsea. Evra’s words will provoke fury amongst the Arsenal faithful, but the question remains, is he right?
There is no doubting that despite the aesthetic brilliance of Arsenal they are yet to marry that approach with silverware. Five years is a long time in football and for a club of Arsenal’s stature to have a stale period this long is unacceptable. But praise has to be given to the board and fans of Arsenal who have long stood by Wenger and his mantra of youth development. At any other club Wenger would have been disposed of, his saving grace is the way they play football. Like Barcelona, Wenger’s team have supreme confidence in their own ability – they never approach any game differently and on their day, as Evra said, they can be unplayable. This season Arsenal have displayed the traits that Evra obviously refers to, losing at home to West Brom, Spurs and despite dominating possession, Chelsea.
There is only one way to prove Evra wrong; Arsenal have to do their talking on the pitch. Nothing would be more sweet and fitting for Arsenal for them to turn up at Old Trafford and put on a master class. They have the players to do so, if Fabregas is fit they potentially have the strongest midfield of the two sides and in Samir Nasri they have the Player of the Season so far and a player who is capable of ripping any defence to pieces.
It is a strange move by Evra as United tend to keep quiet before big games, leaving the trash talking to Chelsea. Sir Alex Ferguson will certainly not be happy with Evra as he knows more than any that the best performances come in the face of adversity. Whilst some Evra’s words are truthful, the lack of respect he has shown Arsenal reflects badly on the player and the club. He has given Arsene Wenger his team talk and a young Arsenal side added motivation. Whilst piling the pressure on United’s and especially his own performance. As Wenger knows himself, the ultimate barometer for success in this game is silverware. Whilst Arsenal vainly search for it, they continue to leave themselves open to this debate. There is only one way to silence the critics, something that Sir Alex Ferguson and his team know only too well.
Its funny that Liverpool have won nothing in five years, have an average squad and no new stadium but no crisis there or Tottenham who havent won a league title in over forty years no crisis there or Man City who have spent over 300 million on duds and not won anything in decades and yet no crisis there but we go five poxy years without anything and we are a crisis club – may be we havent gone the route of bankrupting ourselves to win something that goes nowhere near paying the costs to win it in the first place but hey ho when united become the first club to reach a 1 billion debt we will be in a very strong position.