A Manchester United fan, clearly miffed that Arsenal are receiving such good press of late compared to the question marks surrounding his own club, asked me the other day how many Arsenal players would get in the United team.
He maintained that the goalkeeper, defence and attack would all emanate from Old Trafford in a composite X1.
Whatever you think of that summation, it is telling that my friend had the good sense to leave the other area well alone. Because he accepts like many that Arsène Wenger’s lavish collection of midfielders does not just surpass what United can offer but ranks as the best in the Premier League.
Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky, Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini – it is an incredible array of talent available to Wenger, one that, in Sunday afternoon’s potentially compelling contest, should give his side the edge in one department at least. If the chosen five from that seven play to their full potential – as they have been recently – the visitors are capable of bossing the middle ground to give David Moyes a real problem.
United’s new manager will not have forgotten how Manchester City did the same in September when Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini were completely overrun. That cannot be allowed to happen again, otherwise the momentum will swing heavily in favour of their opponents.
So what can Moyes do given his limited options? If Carrick is fit, he will surely play to lend know-how and composure at the base of midfield. As for Fellaini, that is not so clear-cut. Since arriving from Everton the £27.5million signing has struggled to find a defined role. In and out of the team lately, his involvement today cannot be guaranteed, especially when the opposition is so fleet of foot. When not playing well, the big man is liable to be left trailing.
That leaves Tom Cleverley, Ryan Giggs and Phil Jones as candidates to contend with Arsenal’s midfield maestros. Jones is an interesting one because Sir Alex Ferguson used the lad several times last season when a specialist midfield job needed to be done. Think of the way Jones helped negate Gareth Bale in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Shifting across to protect Rafael, he showed an impressive level of discipline that day.
So with the forward runs of Ramsey to think about, not to mention the clever wanderings of Ozil, might Jones be asked to perform another watching brief? In his favour, the 21-year-old possesses great energy and desire, plus an ability to tackle cleanly. He will keep running all day in his efforts to carry out his manager’s orders.
Remember, though, that Jones is actually a centre-half by trade. For someone more comfortable facing the play, it will not be easy at all keeping tabs on the movement of Ramsey and the rest. Jones will need eyes in the back of his head should an overload occur on his side of the pitch (see graphic).
With 13 goals already for club and country this season, Ramsey’s confidence is such that he is picking the right moments to make a move, timing his runs perfectly to pop up in space, a point he underlined in scoring the winner against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday. Once there, the young Welshman is taking his chances with great assurance.
That threat, of course, may or may not be central to this fascinating clash. What we can say, however, is that Arsenal go into this fixture in a better state than they have done for years. And that is down, in part, to a midfield that United would surely love to have.
No comments:
Post a Comment