(Arsene and Louis both see three points magically transformed into one by last-gasp equalisers against their teams)
Part One
So, fresh from drawing 3-3 with Newcastle, where Manchester United threw away a 2-3 lead with only a few minutes left, the question now is, do we prefer boring 1-0 wins against first division strugglers at Old Trafford? Or would we rather hightail it up the A1(M) to Newcastle to watch exciting score draws? Answers on a postcard to the usual address!
Seriously though, van Gaal is now, rightly, having a go at his players for firstly, conceding a two goal lead, then secondly, conceding the equaliser in the dying minutes.
In the previous game against Sheffield United he defended them by pointing out to the watching world that, “they won the game”. Yes they did Louis, nobody is disputing that, not even Sheffield United fans. The problem you appear to overlook with this glib summary is that, in more than fifty years of watching United, that is one of the most boring games I have ever seen , if not the most boring!
Does he stick or twist? Does he continue trying to fix the bonnet and leaving the boot open, or does he close the boot while it rains on the engine? Van Gaal can’t seem to find a way to close both the bonnet and the boot at the same time. The other onfield problem of course, to continue with the metaphors, is that the car doesn’t have a driver.
This is a much bigger problem than people think, including the dopey Dutchman, and for a more in-depth look at the consequences of having a shrinking violet as captain click here.
The nearest they have to a decent captain is Schweinsteiger, who cannot be guaranteed to play every game.
Anyway, van Gaal needs to find the right balance between attack and defence. Far be it for me to suggest that, in the season and a half he has already spent at Old Trafford , not to mention the £258 million that he has also already spent at Old Trafford but surely these are problems which should have been sorted out long ago. As they obviously haven’t and as he is being paid a large fortune to sort them out, then please do so, Mr vG.
Part Two
Fresh from drawing 3-3 with Liverpool, where Arsenal threw away a 2-3 lead, with only a few minutes left, the question now is, do we want Arsenal to go back to the George Graham days when they could defend a 1-0 lead, or do we stay with the present, exciting bunch and never really know what the score is likely to be?
I am not an Arsenal supporter so I will plump for the excitement every time, but there must have been some comfort in knowing that, back in the day, if Arsenal took the lead they would nearly always win. The famous chant of “1-0 to the Arsenal” maybe long gone, but so has the security of that defence.
Arsenal are now playing the kind of football their fans of yesteryear could only dream of. Yes they touched the heights with Henry, Vieira, Petit and Overmars and even went through a season unbeaten a few years ago, but they have had little to celebrate for a long time now.
If the free-flowing football they are playing brings them a trophy or two by the end of the season I, for one, won’t be complaining. Football played in the right way should be rewarded and usually is. My two favourite examples of this are Barcelona at domestic level and Brazil at International level.
So keep it up Mr Wenger. Judging by the look on his face when Liverpool scored their last minute equaliser, I think some defending may be on the training agenda. If so, I hope he doesn’t go too far overboard. Everybody is just starting to appreciate how good Arsenal can be and we certainly don’t want them going back to how they were.
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 