please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Arsenal take on Manchester United at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon in a huge game for the Gunners. It’s without a doubt their biggest game of the season as the face the newly crowned Champions. Manchester United sealed their 20th league title last Monday after they beat Aston Villa at Old Trafford. Arsenal also won their last league game, but the Gunners had to work a lot harder for their win after they overcame Fulham at Craven Cottage. Arsenal have won five of their last six league games and that makes the most inform team in the league. While many of the performances in this winning run have not been great, Arsenal continue to grind out wins. Sunday's meeting against Manchester United also sees Robin Van Persie returning to the Emirates. After spending eight years at Arsenal, he left the Gunners last summer and after winning the title with United this season, he has achieved what he set out to achieve when deciding to leave the Gunners. Van Persie scored against his former club, when Arsenal met Manchester United earlier in the season. It was a comfortable win for United as Arsenal’s timid display allowed them to cruise for most of the game. Wenger will hope to give Manchester United more problems next Sunday, but United have had the measure of Arsenal for some time now. In their last six meetings, United managed win all but one of those games. So, everything suggests a tough afternoon for the Gunners against United, but their recent form and also improvements in the defence, gives Arsenal fans some hope. Also, with Manchester United having already sealed the title, United could potentially ease off as their players celebrate another league title. This Manchester United team might not be as spectacular as previous title winning sides, but this United side has been a relentless machine this season, and they are still on course to achieve record points haul. They have won 27 of their 34 league games and have only lost four league games all season. Manchester United biggest threat comes in the shape of Robin Van Persie, who has without a doubt been United’s star man this season. He has 24 league goals to his name and is currently the top scorer in the Premier League. Van Persie, originally a wide player has transformed into the perfect number nine, although he likes to think of himself as a ‘nine and a half’. Van Persie unlike most other number nines, is able to also link play with his ability to drop off and find space between the lines. That as well as his prowess in front of goal is what makes him the complete forward. Van Persie got Arsenal out of trouble time and time again last season with his skills and he has done the same for Manchester United this season. The Arsenal defenders having faced Van Persie in training week in week out will surely know what to expect, but even then Van Persie is capable of doing the unexpected. His movement in and around the box will have remained United fans of another Dutch centre-forward they used to have. Michael Carrick has also been a key member of this current title winning United team and his influence in the United midfield is a massive one. David De Gea has arguably been United’s most improved player this season, as he continues to grow into the keeper that United hoped he would be. The other key strength in this United team is their squad depth and their ability to change the game with their options from the bench. Wayne Rooney seems to love playing against Arsenal, he first scored against the Gunners all the way back in 2003 when he was only 16 years old and playing for Everton. It ended Arsenal’s long unbeaten record away from home, and since then he has made his mark against Arsenal time and time again. In the 8-2, he scored a hat-trick, but this year he might be able to cause Arsenal a different problem. With the arrival of Van Persie, Rooney has playing in a much deeper role this season. Only on a few occlusions, has Sir Alex Ferguson, used Rooney alongside Van Persie. This season he has used Rooney between the lines of midfield and attack and Rooney has been able to link up with Van Persie. Olivier Giroud misses the game against United after he got himself sent off in Arsenal’s win over Fulham. One of Lukas Podolski, Theo Walcott or Gervinho is expected to take his place. In midfield, Aaron Ramsey has been one of Arsenal’s better players in the last few games, and his work rate and energy is going to be key if Arsenal want to press and put Manchester United under some real pressure. Arsenal know that win against United on Sunday could go a long way to helping them secure a place in that top four, because the game against United is by far their biggest and toughest game in the run in. Arsene Wenger knows that his players have to produce one of their best performances of the season if they are to get those three massive points and with the pressure firmly on them, he has to hope that they keep their nerve. Arsenal’s record in the big games has been terrible this season, but with the stakes so high for the Gunners, let’s hope that Arsenal can produce their best performance and result for this Sunday. Team News: Form Guide: please log in to view this image Three Key Match-ups: please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Overall Record vs: Manchester United Played: 195 Wins: 67 Draws: 42 Losses: 86 For: 265 Against: 299 GD: -34 Last 6 Meetings: Manchester United 2 - 1 Arsenal Arsenal 1 - 2 Manchester United Manchester United 8 - 2 Arsenal Arsenal 1 - 0 Manchester United Manchester United 2 - 0 Arsenal (FA Cup) Manchester United 1 - 0 Arsenal please log in to view this image Manager's Views: (To Be Updated) My Team: please log in to view this image
Monreal over Gibbs, Monreal for me has shown he's the better defender and the more all balanced player than Gibbs. If Rosicky starts, he will play down the middle, with Cazorla out wide on the left. I'm unsure if I'd like to see Cazorla in the middle, where he's much more influential, with OXO on the left, or go with Rosicky down the middle with Cazorla out wide. Oxo and Theo on the wings will give us lot's of pace and will give Manu lot's to think about, then again Rosicky down the middle against a team like United offers more defensive protection because the guy while being a maestro, does a good job in the defensive department from the middle of the park. Maybe Oxo coming on as a sub will have more of an impact, he will be fresh, tired legs out there etc, he has looked far more effective recently coming on as a sub than when he's started the game.
Massive game for us. The atmosphere will be electric, in a kind of perverse way I think seeing ****ychops walk out as a league winner will fire us up for this game. Agree with Podolski down the middle and I think Walcott will get a lot of space to run at defenders too. I'd have Gibbs at LB though, I like Monreal, but I think Gibbs will give them more to think about.
prefer gibbs at LB. monreal is still making mistakes defensively in games, and he doesn't get forward as much as gibbs does. cazorla should play in the middle, as he's best there. he goes missing in games where he's out wide. also, he doesn't track back on the wings as much, and we'll need that with rafael and evra playing. walcott and gervinho would be my starters for out wide, with podolski up front.
We've only won 1 of our last 10 or 11 games against them and lost the rest. Not hugely confident for this one but maybe the players will put in a similar performance to the Bayern game with no pressure. We need to defend well to get anything out of this.
The best time we could ever play the manks this season. They have nothing to play for and will be celebrating their Premier league title win. Unless we have a dire game, we should get a win or a draw. Also I can't see RVP busting a gut against us or the rest of the Man U players for that matter.
On the topic of giving or not giving a guard of honour, I think it's only fair that we do it, seeing as United gave us one when we won the league in 1991.
Gibbs gives us more going forward with his pace. Also, think Monreal is still adjusting his game in order to adapt to playing in a faster league.
Fergie should rest RVP for this game and probably he will. It would be a wise decision on every level.
That would be nice of him. It's the least he could do after we sold him the best player in the league.
Giving United the guard of honour will just be another added moment of humiliation for this club, one of many we've had to go through over the past few years. But remember, we're the most ambitious club out there.
There was no pressure on us against Bayern, but there is massive pressure on us for this game, considering just how close that race for the top four is. This would be our best and most important win if we can achieve it. I am hoping for the sort of performance that we showed against United two years ago. Ramsey scored the winner and we were excellent in that game as we pressed United all over the pitch.
How do you make that connection? Why is providing a guard of honour for the Champions humiliating, and how does it in any way relate to the level of ambition of a club? If United were playing this week-end at West Ham would it be humiliating for them to provide a guard of honour? Would it reflect on their lack of ambition? What if they were playing at Chelsea? Makes no sense whatsoever.
things that wont happen for us on sunday against you guys we keep a clean sheet at the Emirates we score from a corner at the Emirates Hernandez starts and scores against Arsenal we wont get a penalty (don't think we have ever had 1 at the Emirates)
we should MOST CERTAINLY give the champions a guard of honour . We should certainly NOT boo Van Judas. Just win , that will say more than any boo-ing.
Looks like SAF is going to rotate his players http://www.football411.com/story/0,22162,14287_8671220,00.html
