Who Would Wenger Take From Manchester United’s Team? The Final Word

The story so far: A Man Utd site,”Absolutely United” published its thoughts on which Arsenal players would make it in the current Man Utd team. Not surprisingly very few Arsenal players were selected.

Not to be outdone "Arsenal Analysis" replied with its own combined 11. Not surprisingly very few Man Utd players made the list.

Back came the two sites with even more analysis and opinion on the matter. In between, a lot of heated opinions were exchanged between the two sets of supporters on comments left on both sites.

Following our latest reply to Absolutely United’s I Spy he regrouped and came out shooting from the hip.

This is we hope a final reply!

By Eros, Arsenal Analysis resident season ticket holder at the Emirates (North Upper Stand Row Q)

I spy,

Glad to see I gave you some food for thought which, as you admitted, required some of your time in getting back to me.

You insist on questioning my mental health which is I suppose your way of showing some kind of respect. So as you would say ‘respect’

Football is a game of opinions and everyone’s opinions are correct to himself, so as I am sure you know by now we will never find enough common ground to come to a final decision.

That’s why after today we should agree to disagree on some of the pending matters.

Wes Brown for the combined 11. Are you serious?

I can not understand how you can keep a straight face arguing that Wes Brown is worthy of a spot in this team.

You admit that he is not a natural wing back. I will also add that his contribution going forward is almost non existent.

He is also not quick enough and in my opinion can be exposed against high quality wingers.

You also say that you like Sagna as a player and you are impressed by how quickly he adapted to the English game but you seem stuck on the fact he has only played a handful of games (something I pointed out originally anyway).

Granted Sagna did not have the best of games against Sunderland but his overall performances until now have been excellent.

It is obvious that Wes Brown should not have a place in the combined Arsenal/Man Utd squad. Sagna and Eboue should be left alone to fight it out for a place in the starting line up.

Transfer flops: Fergie leads the way!

You seem to like mentioning Francis Jeffers and what a big success he was in North London and I Iet you get away with until know, but no more.

Yes Jeffers was an 8m pound flop but I wonder how much Veron, Cleberson, Djemba-Djemba and Taibi all cost.

Surely one argument that you cannot win is the transfer market success Arsene Wenger enjoyed over the years. Your net outlay on transfers this year is close to 50m whereas ours is a positive –yes positive- 8m!

Clichy is more skilful than Evra

As for the position on the opposite side of the pitch you say that Clichy has nothing that Evra has not. I’m afraid you are wrong again! Apart from a superior level of skill and technique, Clichy has time on his side.

He is only 22 and has a long career in front of him. I am not saying that Evra is old – 27? – but if we are to use your argument that right now they are virtually of equal quality then surely Clichy should get the nod because of his unlimited potential.

Ferdinand is not better than Toure

I still do not consider Ferdinand to be better than Toure, for the reasons that I pointed out in my previous post. Basically what you are trying to say is that Ferdinand looks good next to a world class player like Vidic and I agree with you.

You rightly point out that Campbell had the same effect on Rio because he used to do all the dirty work for him.

As for the goal conceded by Arsenal against Sunderland I don’t think that Toure did anything wrong, it was the full backs that in my opinion were found napping for both goals.

As Sagna was walking back to his position Toure was forced to go out the right to cover which left Jones at the back stick against Clichy, not a real contest now is it?

It’s criminal to compare Rio and Toure in terms of concentration and an insult to use the media card on me for any mistake that is picked up from TV pundits. I do have opinions of my own and as I am sure you can read I am not shy about expressing them!

Robin Van Persie’s special quality

I know we agreed to disagree about RVP and Rooney, however I want to point out a quality that makes RVP special. His form is negatively correlated to the form of the rest of the team.

When everyone else is flying Van Persie usually has a quiet game almost as if he is saving energy for more important periods of the season.

If you look at the recent results you will see Van Persie does not usually score when the team wins comfortably, however when the team needs a goal you can bet that more often than not RVP is going to come up with the goods, like he did twice this week.

Van Persie is going to score the important goals, the goals that will lift the whole of the team when they are struggling. I’m not sure Rooney has that killer instinct in him.

Glad to see you dropped the Scholes vs Cesc debate so I will take that as a victory for us Gooners! It was not a real contest anyway.

Finally you point out that some of your squad players were involved in Saturday’s game and from what I read Anderson and Pique especially never put a foot wrong.

All I would say is Wigan at home is not the most testing of games to judge your ability on.

Try and throw them in at the deep like Wenger was forced to 3 years ago when a 16 year old Cesc and a 19 year old Flamini held Lampard, Makelele and Essien to a goalless draw at the Bridge.

Can’t wait until November the 3rd when I am sure we will cross swords again.

Wonder who will have the bragging rights then?



United Versus Arsenal: The Battle Intensifies

An open letter to Manchester United fans

Who Would Wenger Take From Manchester United’s Team?

An Open Letter To Arsenal Fans

Who Would Fergie Take From Arsenal’s First Team?

Walcott and Clichy should be the wide players against Blackburn

By 1970's Gooner

This away fixture at Blackburn is the equivalent of a real fitness test for this young but maturing Arsenal side.

All the football pundits are expecting Arsenal to return to their old ways. Their first away fixture in the North with rain gushing down, a partisan crowd and an opponent prepared to stick it up your nose. This is where titles are won or lost.

And there is some merit in this logic.

Yes they battled hard against a physical Ajax in the Amsterdam tournament but that was a friendly after all;

Yes they came back to beat Fulham at the death; but Fulham surprisingly didn’t park the Fulham Broadway bus in front of them and it was a home game after all, in nice London summerish weather.

Yes they had to man the barricades against an intimidating Sparta and Tomas Repka in Prague which indicated that they are up for the physical type of games; but having watched the game live, Sparta did not produce the quality of football as say Blackburn could pose on Sunday.


So if Wenger’s babes can also pass this test then the football world will really sit up and take notice.

Hell, the players themselves will sit up and take notice!

So if you are Mr Wenger and you realise the enormous up side potential that an away win at Blackburn at this juncture will give to this side how should you approach this game?

I say this because injuries to Eboue, Rosicky, Diaby and Eduardo are likely to deprive the team of key players especially its wings. Without wings no one can fly. And fly is what Arsenal need to do if they are to have a chance of winning this game.

How Wenger decides to replace the loss of Eboue and Rosicky will, more than any other decision he makes for this game, go a long way in deciding its outcome. And there are two reasons for this.

The first is the need to have penetrating wide midfielders as this will be the only way to bypass what is likely to be a congested midfield; made even more congested by Hleb’s insistence to drop deeper than he should. May be on Wenger’s orders.

The second reason is that Blackburn themselves look likely to play with two wingers who like to go forward. The dangerous Pedersen and old boy Bentley. Exploitation of the spaces left behind them may prove their Achilles heel.

One way to (partly) solve the winger’s crisis is to change the formation and play 4 4 2 by bringing Bendtner or Eduardo in to partner RVP. The result will be that Hleb will move to one of the wide midfield positions.

But I don’t think that Wenger will want to change a winning team’s formation. And as he has said, Eduardo will probably be deployed from the bench. Bendtner he considers not yet ready to start.

The only viable solutions available to my mind are to play Clichy as a left sided midfielder with Hoyte brought in at left or right back.

Clichy impressed during pre season when he was tried in this position and also showed, during these first two competitive games, how dangerous he is going forward.

For the other wide midfield position the choice is between Denilson, who is now fit, and Walcott.

Walcott impressed when he came on against Fulham and he will be adding real penetration, an ingredient necessary if Arsenal are to exploit the wide areas.

The rest of the team picks itself.

Hleb is top scorer, Robin needs a Batman and Fabregas is the real captain

Fabregas has added a “Peter Storey” attitude to his vast arsenal of talents