Arsenal are to face the defending EPL champions, Man United, in a mouth-watering game on Wednesday night, in the Emirates Stadium. It is one of many tough fixtures Arsenal will face as their next two opponents are going to be Liverpool, in an FA Cup showdown, and then Bayern Munich, in the Champions League. A win for Arsenal can see them either regain the top spot, given Chelsea drop points, or keep up the title push while a draw or a loss can spell bad for Arsenal's title hopes as the league tightens up.
Now many of our fans are worried about this game as it comes right after Arsenal's humiliating defeat at the hands of Liverpool. Can we handle the pressure of the big game after such a huge loss? Will we be be able to find our confidence back in time? Many, I'm sure, believe that the game might prove to soon for us and fear that we will choke-up under the pressure and either lose or draw. And this would prove horrible for us as fourth place Liverpool are only five points behind us and Chelsea would, most probably, increase their lead at the top of the table, and with their number of tough fixtures being little, we simply cannot afford to lose ground on them, not at this point of the race. However, this is not a feeling shared by me. I feel that this match couldn't come at a greater time for us. It may prove to be a blessing in disguise.
Firstly, rivalries is something that always brings the best out of players and the team as well. You can see this every time we play against Tottenham in the North London Derby. A dazzling performance isn't always assured, but a "will leave it all on the pitch" one is. This can be said for the Arsenal vs Man United game. For a long period of time, the Arsenal-Man United encounters have not been much of a competitive one. It always seemed to be a matter of "will Arsenal avoid a loss" if it was Old Trafford, or "will Arsenal be able to beat Man United" if it was the Emirates. The story has changed now and our encounters have started to heat up again. You can notice how a lot of football reporters, editors and commentators were saying "could Arsenal win for the first time in 7 years" in the previous encounter in Old Trafford. Even though we eventually lost the game and didn't put much of a performance, the fact that people thought we could win it was a great feeling. We could actually be competitive and beat Man United. Finally! Something we have been missing since the days of Viera and Keane's fighting and bust-ups in the tunnels and on the pitches. Even though confidence might not be high and the anxiety of possibly losing another big fixture might still exist, I know we will bring the fight to them with full force. The view that we are no longer a team that can be bullied anymore is one that can build the confidence of any broken man. That momentum and belief, I am sure, will be carried into tomorrow's game. The great Arsenal-Man United rivalry is returning. It was witnessed in last seasons encounter in the Emirates and it will be witnessed tomorrow night. We are coming back and we can count on our lads to give everything they got.
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| We all remember this reaction to Nistelrooy's penalty miss |
The mere arena of the fixture is another reason I feel that tomorrow's game might be one that will end in our favor. The Emirates, our fortress. Our track record this season at home is one to admire. It stands at: G 12 W 9 D 2 L 1. This isn't bad. It is great, actually. Our only home loss was on the opening day encounter against Aston Villa, but that was so long ago that no one really takes that into consideration. Our two draws was against a fierce Everton side and a Chelsea team who clearly parked the bus. We have won every other home fixtures from the beginning of the season. The Emirates is becoming a stadium to fear and the numbers prove that. But stats aside, lets look at the real reason why the Emirates is becoming great. Since Arsenal's move from the wonderful and legendary stadium that was the Highbury, the Emirates never really felt like home. It was hard to look at old pics of the Highbury and watch videos of Henry scoring and not reminisce the good old days. Every game at the Emirates, no matter how filled the stadium was or what the scoreline of the game was, never really matched up to the Highbury's feeling. And for a guy who never had the opportunity to experience the Highbury, the fact that I could even feel it through a TV screen speaks volume. This season though, the Emirates is starting to feel more and more like home. It is still not the same as before, but it is a healthy progress. Chants and songs that haven't been heard in a while can be heard now, ringing across the stands. The small things such as the Arsenal flag bearers who wave the flags in joy whenever we score does a lot. The supporter's spirit has been breath-taking and this, in return, has lifted our player's spirits. Olivier Giroud may be one-on-one with a goalkeeper and smash the ball wide but the fans will still be chanting "Na Na Na Na Na Na Giroud". The support has been taken to new heights and the difference between the way it was at the beginning of the season and the way it is now is huge. It went from booing the players off the stadium pitch in the opening day match to the Arsenal fans singing ARSENAL ARSENAL ARSENAL even though we were 3-0 down in Anfield in the opening 20 minutes. This kind of support has given the players a moral boost and the drive to always give a performance worthy of the thousands of loyal fans sitting in the stands. This can be huge a factor that decides the game tomorrow night.
Lastly, with relation to the first factor I brought up about rivalry, despise or hatred for a team or player can bring a fighting spirit out of even the most cowardly guy. Now I know hatred is a strong word but I bet it is what most gooners, if not all, feel for this man.
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| RvP celebrating his goal against AFC |
My only fears though are that Man United might park the bus. For a team that tries to walk the ball into the net, every time a team parks the bus, we find it difficult to break them down. We couldn't beat Chelsea at home for the same reason, though they did have some referee decisions go their way. But I don't think Moyes will deploy that tactic. To say his Man United reign has been a train wreck is not so far stretched and I know he sees the Arsenal fixture as a winnable one. What a better way for him to get Man United's season back on track by beating Arsenal at home and salvage some pride. He will go for the kill and in return, we will reap the profits from it. Injuries are also another worrying issue. If Theo and Ramsey were to play, the match would go a whole lot better but with Theo out for the season and Ramsey still not back, we will have to wait and see how it ends up. Theo is a huge loss but we have come to terms with it and Ramsey's absence can be comforted by the presence of Jack Wilshere. With the game so obviously going to be a heated and physically contested one, their is no better midfielder when it comes to getting rough and getting into tussles with than Jack (and yeah I chose Jack over Flamini cause Flamini would most probably see red in situations like that). So the effect will be decreased substantially if not completely over-turned.
Those are many of the reasons why I am positive about the big game tomorrow night and after that loss to Liverpool, the opportunity to beat Man United would prove the best way to overturn that awful match, its effect and reinstate ourselves back as substantial title contenders. With other big games coming, this opportunity to beat Man United might prove vital and a win would be the best way to enter into the up-and-coming fixtures. Man United aren't doing so well, so it will not be that hard to beat them at home, would it?
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