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Bitter rivalry adds an edge to the afternoon
By Matt Dickinson
A compelling subplot as two prizefighters square up today in the FA Cup Final in Cardiff
IN CASE Malcolm Glazer cannot work out which team he has bought for £800 million, Manchester United will be the ones kicking their opponents. At least that is how Arsenal have attempted to portray this afternoon’s FA Cup Final, which takes one of English sport’s great bubbling feuds and weaves in half a dozen compelling subplots.
We already know that we can expect anti-Glazer demonstrations, Ashley Cole’s last game for Arsenal, dugout warfare and a bone-crushing handshake between two the captains. These two clubs have already produced one of the great FA Cup Finals, in 1979 when Arsenal won 3-2 with Alan Sunderland’s late winner. Today we expect drama in the tunnel even before kick-off.
At stake is more than just a trophy, although given that one of these teams must finish the campaign potless, that is significant in itself. There is also the settling of scores, collective and individual. Another chapter in the rivalry between Arsenal and United is about to be written but the arguments still rage about previous encounters, most notably, of course, the meeting at Old Trafford in October when Sir Alex Ferguson’s men brought Arsenal’s 49-match unbeaten league run to an emphatic end.
It became known as the Battle of the Buffet because of the pizza thrown at Ferguson by Cesc Fàbregas during the post-match mêlée, but the title makes light of an afternoon filled with malice. United were accused of targeting José Antonio Reyes in particular but Ferguson could not resist the opportunity this week to disparage Arsenal as hypocrites.
“Three tackles on Reyes in the whole game doesn’t constitute The Texas Chain Saw Massacre does it?” he said. “I think it was an Arsenal slant and there was a bit of propaganda afterwards about why they had lost their 49-game unbeaten record and there had to be a reason. I think it was convenient for them to say that. But the stats and the facts do not bear that out.
“There was only three fouls on Reyes the whole game, only three and there were six on [Cristiano] Ronaldo. Arsenal have got to put their hand up and say, ‘We’re a competitive team.’ And we expect them to be competitive. But if you look at the record of Manchester United, it does not bear up as a team that is overaggressive at all. Generally we’ve done well in the Fair Play Leagues.”
Ferguson’s tally of fouls does not take into account the force, and intent, of some of those challenges. United undoubtedly set out to intimidate Arsenal but in their most recent victory, 4-2 at Highbury in February, they can claim to have beaten last year’s league champions fair and square.
Excluding the Community Shield, Arsenal have not won against United since February 2003 but Arsène Wenger, their manager, is confident that his team bring the better form this afternoon. Even without the injured Thierry Henry, who in any case often finds United’s defence harder to outpace than most, Wenger believes that his team is ready for any tactics, rough or otherwise, that his opponents may employ.
“I feel we got caught a little bit in our last game against them because we were too keen to kill them off,” he said. “But we had to be faithful to the way we play football. We had ten games to go and we were five points behind. Since then we have finished the season six points ahead of them and have rebuilt our confidence level. I feel that we have a cohesion, spirit and the quality to beat them. You are talking like it is a decade that we haven ’t beaten them but that’s not true.”
When the feuding stops, and Roy Keane has already said that he anticipates an “explosive” opening (even by his standards), there is the prospect of a wonderful game of football, which would make a change from recent Cup Finals. United’s form has been fitful but they have match winners in Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney.
Ferguson is waiting to see if Gary Neville can play despite an injured groin. His hardest decision is in midfield. He has been full of praise for Darren Fletcher but to pick the young Scot would mean no place for Ryan Giggs.
It is the first time since 1979 that the two clubs have met in the FA Cup Final although they have contested plenty since. “In the past ten years we have won the title six times and they have won it three times,” Ferguson said. “It becomes a situation where we see them as the team to beat and they see us as the team to beat. It creates that kind of thing where every match feels like it is for six-points.”
There are no points up for grabs but there is so much at stake that the slide in viewing figures for the FA Cup Final should be significantly reversed this afternoon. Glazer should be watching from his home in Tampa Bay. If this game does not make him a fan of English football (rather than just a speculator in it), then nothing will.
[ Last edited by 灰鸦 on 2005-5-21 at 13:20 ] |
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发表于 2005-5-21 13:18
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