Manchester United's win against Arsenal wasn't the most exciting of games and,
for all the talk from Arsene Wenger about it being a chance for his side to
prove their worth, when it really mattered they again couldn't deliver.
We've
gone through another moment of Arsenal hype but once again they couldn't bring
any of their magic and I would go as far as to say that they bottled it.
Marouane
Chamakh is not good enough, Samir Nasri went missing in a big game. It's all
very well doing it against Fulham but against the big boys he couldn't show his
undoubted skill.
I
was very disappointed in Arsenal. I've said time and time again that
defensively they're not up to it, and the goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny - to whom everyone looked to
make a mistake on his league debut - was near faultless, kicking aside, coming
out of the game better than any Arsenal player.
That
was the best United have defended as a team this season, and the hardest
they've worked to contain a team in midfield.
You
can see why they left out Dimitar Berbatov, even though he scored five against
Blackburn, because - form or otherwise - Rooney's style suits the hard-working
containment policy needed for a game like that.
With
the exception of the Liverpool game, Berbatov
just isn't trusted to do enough in the really big games because, for all his
class, he lacks the consistency to be relied upon week in week out.
What
this means for the title is that United have a great opportunity to really lay
down a marker. The Chelsea
game couldn't have come at a better time, off the back of this win and the
Blues' dreadful form.
Chelsea
are talking big again after a good second half against Spurs but the first half
was not good enough and you need to be at the races for 90 against United.
Frank
Lampard's return is interesting. He's not an impact player so bringing him off
the bench is of little use, but is he ready to start? Will Carlo Ancelotti risk
him, at the expense of, say, Florent Malouda, or Ramires?
- - -
Sam
Allardyce's sacking by
Blackburn shows what's wrong with football at the moment. People are
getting involved who know nothing about football and it's not good.
Roberto
Mancini allegedly lost the dressing room at Manchester City
but the team are neatly poised, or were until Carlos Tevez had a cow; West
Ham's Avram Grant is having a 'mare
yet he's still in a job somehow; Chris Hughton got the sack despite doing very
well.
Big
Sam going was a shock to me but then you realise they have new owners with eyes
bigger than their bellies who want success but on the cheap. Good luck to them,
because that does not cut it in the Premier League.