United-Arsenal: The Truest of Tests

The matches against Liverpool, and particularly Middlesbrough, gave us renewed belief that our players do indeed have the spirit and strength to recover from setbacks, and that this is not just a ploy of spin by Wenger.

But this is Manchester United.

The Champions and European champions. The world champions. A side packed with talent and experience in the real big-time that if we do not show strength and confidence from the off, we will be in for a very long and painful ride.

A lot has been made of the newly formed cordial ties between Fergie and Le Boss over the past couple of years. Unfortunately, I only see this as the excruciating reality of our decline more than the managers mellowing with age as Wenger suggested.

Ferguson does not see us as the threat we once used to be.

But a European Cup semifinal at Old Trafford is a great opportunity to test the true motives of the cerebral Scotsman’s “friendship." Here are two teams renowned for their passion for playing football in the true sense of the word, entertaining, looking forward at every opportunity.

Winning and winning in style. Where else can we test the measures of our true improvements in the big time, expressing ourselves freely and looking to silence the doubters?

In retrospect, the Chelsea match was a no-goer due to our aforementioned meekness. Wednesday, however, will see us come up against a side that are no weaklings themselves, but whose style is akin to that of our own, which really is a strange parallel to draw as United have scooped all before them during which we won sweet FA (pardon the pun).

I mentioned how our big players went missing in the domestic semifinal—something that must not happen on Wednesday night (as well as Song and Arshavin who literally went missing for no known reason apart from Wenger’s infuriatingly inexplicable selection blunder).

With Fabregas now revelling in a slightly advanced role behind the striker(s), and with a fairly successful interchange with Nasri in the midfield at the Emirates at the weekend, a true balance between our playmaker-in-chief’s attacking instincts and defensive abilities will be key to whether we fare well at The Theatre of Dreams.

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