Arsenal could drop right out of the race for the Premier League title unless they get a result from the game against Manchester United. If they lose at home to Manchester United on Saturday I don't rate their chances of getting back into the thick of things personally. Half the problem is that Arse Wenger is too busy complaining that his players are being unfairly treated by referees and opponents. A loss at Emirates Stadium would leave the Gunners four points behind the defending champions, with Chelsea and Liverpool both possibly moving nine points ahead.
"It's a massive game of massive importance for us," Wenger said. "Manchester United-Arsenal is always a special one. It's important for us that we do well in the big games in this league now."
Arsenal have failed to win their last three matches - drawing 4-4 with Tottenham after leading 4-2 in the final minute, losing 2-1 at Stoke and then being held 0-0 at home by Fenerbahce in the Champions League - and Wenger says his players are receiving lots of unfair challenges. "In the second half, we dropped physically and were less dangerous from then on, we were not sharp enough to put our strikers into good positions. You expect us to make chances in the last 20 minutes and this didn't come because physically we didn't have the resources."
Wenger said Stoke injured three of his players yet referees are penalising his team by being too quick to give yellow cards. "Look at the fair play table. Who is top? Arsenal," he said. "Look at the team that makes less fouls. Arsenal. (Yet) who gets more yellow cards after four or five fouls Arsenal. Some teams get their first yellow cards after 15 fouls." A glance at the head-to-heads between the big four rivals suggests the early advantage lies with Liverpool. Rafa Benitez' team, with an apparently easy home game against next-to-last West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, have beaten Man United at home and Chelsea away this season. Chelsea have drawn 1-1 at home with Man United, but this is Arsenal's first game against any of the other three and they can't afford to lose otherwise they will lose touch with them all.
With the game at Arsenal in mind, United started with strikers Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov on the bench, but both were needed in the second half of a 1-1 draw at Celtic in the Champions League as the Red Devils required a late equaliser by Ryan Giggs. Cristiano Ronaldo, whose 42 goals for us helped capture the Premier League and Champions League titles last year, is gunning for a third championship in a row and sees a victory at Arsenal as a big step forward.
"We want to win the title so we have to get three points there, I don't know if it is tough for them at the moment but they will still have 11 players, the same as us, and I know it will be difficult because it always is."
Leading Liverpool on goal difference, Chelsea visit Blackburn on Sunday hoping to recover from Tuesday's 3-1 Champions League loss at AS Roma. Luiz Felipe Scolari's stars have won all five Premier League games on the road with 14 goals scored and only one conceded. Liverpool needed a disputed injury-time penalty by Steven Gerrard to salvage a 1-1 Champions League draw at home to Atletico Madrid. Their last Premier League game was a 2-1 loss at Tottenham after going ahead. The dippers could have striker Fernando Torres back to play West Brom, however, and maintain the pressure on the Blues.....Back To Home Page
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