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Clash of the titans: Arsenal meet Man U tonight in crunch game
by : Steve Walters
Date : Tue, 01 Feb 2005 00:00:00 GMT
It will be the clash of the titans at Highbury tonight when Manchester United meets Arsenal in high-fever match to decide who takes second place in the Premiership league. lt;br / gt;
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The one of the two bitter rivals who wins today’s game not only automatically qualifies for next season 's Champions League, but also wins the right to challenge Chelsea for their currently undisputed No 1 spot. lt;br / gt;
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Sir Alex Ferguson, who has kept his fingers crossed over tonight’s fixture, says: “You do keep thinking about what everyone says about football, that it is such a game that it can change. There have been disasters time and time again. When I was at Rangers in the 1967-68 seasons we went the whole season undefeated until the last game, against Aberdeen. We lost that game and Celtic took the title. So we have to hope and keep on chasing the No.1 position until it is out of the question.” lt;br / gt;
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As far as Arsenal is concerned, it has a more fragile nature than the Reds, as their implosion following defeat at Old Trafford in October showed. lt;br / gt;
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They still have great players, but the fact that Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry have been in reverse gear since their unbeaten run came crashing to an end at Man. United 's hands, has raised question marks about their temperament. lt;br / gt;
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Chelsea, however, has piled the pressure on both teams, and the responses have been in marked contrast. lt;br / gt;
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United have won ten and drawn two in their last 12 league games, and their performance against Chelsea last week spoke highly of their character, even if it raised questions about their defending at the highest level. lt;br / gt;
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On the other hand, Wenger has won three championships in that time and came nearest to a successful defence in 1998-99 when his team finished just one point behind United. lt;br / gt;
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United 's path ahead looks clear. They have an exciting new team evolving around the talents of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, but need to find the right men to take place of greats like Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and in particular, Roy Keane, in the years ahead. lt;br / gt;
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But Wenger will have to play a different ball game. With a new ground to buy, the Arsenal management will be relying more heavily than ever on Wenger 's knack of picking up top talent on the cheap. lt;br / gt;
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