Absolutely UNITED

Report: What’s The Big Deal About Arsenal?

Sir Alex has tipped Arsenal to make a strong challenge for United’s title this season.

“They have started the season well,” Ferguson commented. “Their form has been very good and they have produced some very good performances. It’s going to make it an interesting league.”

Arsenal have rattled up five league victories already this season to top the Premiership but why did the manager go public so soon about a rival which has yet to be examined by any of the league’s big beasts?

AbsolutelyUNITED wants to know what the big deal is with Arsenal this year? Can they really take United’s title? Are they really more dangerous than Chelsea or Liverpool?

Questions. Questions. So we sent regular columnist Ispy to check out the resurgent Gunners.

…

If Arsenal are going to win the title this year, they have to win matches against the likes of West Ham. That said, United blazed their way to glory last season whilst going down to defeat against the Hammers home and away…so er, well you know what I mean!

Even with a European game just around the corner, Arsenal set up against West Ham with most of their now familiar first 11. There was still no sign of German joker Jens Lehmann but with stand-in Senderos, the defence looked solid enough.

Arsenal’s glory has been based on the newfound goal scoring of the midfield but Wenger chose to start without the inventive Rosicky. Instead, the muscular Diaby, who looked good against Derby last week joined a quartet featuring the imperious Fabregas, the unsung workhorse Flamini and Hleb, who doesn’t attract complimentary adjectives so easily.

On 12 minutes, Arsenal took the lead with a sweetly worked goal. That man Hleb might soon deserve the moniker ‘pinpoint’ if he continues to deliver the kind of cross that found Van Persie in the box. The Dutch forward headed in at the far post under pressure from West Ham defender Neill, to leave the crowd stunned. The goal was slightly against the run of play but underlined the ability and danger of the Gunners.

West Ham got the hump after the goal and the thuggish Bowyer slid into a ugly tackle from behind on Flamini in the 15th minute which warranted a red card. Bowyer continued, receiving only a yellow card. In the 28th minute, rising star Mark Noble earned a caution for an aggressive challenge on Hleb, also from behind. The midfielder left the field on a stretcher to be replaced by Eboue. The Hammers excessive combativity meant nearly five minutes were added to the first half.

In English football, champions earn the right to play by demonstrating that they too understand the dark arts. Arsenal look ill-equipped for this type of struggle without the likes of Gilberto and so must be prepared to be kicked off the field as was the case at the Upton Park. Over-physical challenges of the type West Ham produced are likely to be a feature of many of the Premiership games Arsenal will play this season. Brute force will hope to triumph over technique. Will the referees give the Gunners’ dandy and smallish midfield the necessary protection?

Everyone knows that Wenger’s team likes to pass but what is striking about Arsenal is that they play with a gangly striker in Adebayor but yet rarely hit high balls into the opposition box. The giraffe feeder Adebayor - is he a right winger of a left winger, a target man or a player best employed in the hole behind Van Persie? Who knows but Arsenal are as fluid as United and troubled West Ham’s defence all afternoon.

A word on West Ham who contributed their part to a decent Premiership game. They are a limited team with a simple plan to look for Dean Ashton with every forward pass. For a side that has seen heavy investment, there is little of the vibrancy that marks for example, Manchester City under Sven. Perhaps Scotty Parker has still to find his best form because on this display, the Hammers lack a midfielder of quality who can direct the play and someone on the flanks who could have disturbed Arsenal’s defensive composure. A centre forward to replace the ineffctual Camara would do nicely too.

Arsenal had all that and more and were able to switch the play from left to right with metronomic regularity. Yet after the goal, they were content with an ‘away-side’ performance, keeping possession, holding the line, maintaining a defensive shape and waiting for an opening. Arsenal are strong in both fullback positions but Clichy, who is winning rave reviews this season and rivals Patrice Evra as the best leftback in the league, rarely got forward to supplement Arsenal’s attacking thrusts. Arsenal’s scouting report had clearly advertised a weakness on West Ham’s left flank and the Gunner’s better work in the first half was designed to probe this flaw.

The second half was 9 minuites old when Van Persie hit the post with a fabulous shot from just outisde the box. Two minutes later, West Ham should have drawn level when Ashton failed to convert a glorious chance when, with the Arsenal defence split, he headed straight to the keeper from a pefect cross.

West Ham had clearly taken extra sugar in their half time tea and now took the game to the visitors. Arsenal responded with some scintilating forward play on 63 minutes. Van Persie, with a shooting chance of his own, played in Adebayor who appeared to be better placed. The striker steered his shot past the flailing goalkeeper Robert green but wide of the far post.

Arsenal replaced Adebayor with Gilberto Silva on 78 minutes and closed out the game without further incident. Arsenal retained top spot in the Premiership after an important win.

Before this review sounds any more like a love poem to the Gunners, Arsenal are not the finished article. The performance against West Ham was comfortable enough but would not have frightened United’s scouts at the game. Wenger’s side is coherent, fluent and has great technical ability. Arsenal appear to have survived the sale of Henry just as United overcame the loss of Ruud van Nistelrooy. They have quality players in reserve, all good enough to step into the first team.

What Arsenal don’t have is the sprinkling of stardust, the genius that United possess in Rooney and Ronaldo. They don’t have the counter-attacking speed that serves United so well nor the variety that allows them to face down the physical challenges of the Premiership make-weights.

Arsenal are better this year but to be sure of the extent of this improvement, the Gunners must wait until they are tested by United, Chelsea and Liverpool. Seville, just getting into the rythm of the new Spanish season, remain the only team of note that the Gunners have played. Arsenal rely on Fabregas and Van Persie for much of their momentum. Should either of these players suffer injury, the Gunners title challenge could be derailed seriously.

Arsenal are a good side but so too are Liverpool. Chelsea, fading amid the chaos at Stamford Bridge, will continue to threaten but the title is still United’s to lose, a fact that must delight Sir Alex.

newsteam posted this article under The Others, ISpy on Saturday, September 29th, 2007 at 7:20 pm You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment or trackback from your own site.