EPL - Arsenal vs Manchester United - Jan 31

• zocoss

  24 Jan 10, 23:19

   

    

   

   

   

        VS          

   

  Arsenal vs Manchester United

  Sunday, 31 January 2010

  Channel 27:  12:00 am  -  (Live) (Mon)

  Premier League Game 24

   

  Van Der Sar, Evra, Rio, Fabio Da Silva, Brown, Anderson, Rafael Da Silva, Park, Carrick, Fletcher, Valencia, Berbatov, Scholes, Scoles, Giggs, Rooney, Neville, Owen, Kuszczak, Obertan, Nani, Evans, Macheda.

   

• Rooney9

  24 Jan 10, 23:21

  wtf so late? need to apply for off in lieu liao leh lol

• grandmaster89

  25 Jan 10, 02:55

  Flecther die die must start. Please play 4-4-2 and no more 4-5-1 crap. Rooney can't play as a long striker and we don't have any midifelders capable of driving runs or shots from afar apart from nani and gibson (whom I don't rate highly at all).

• sand king

  25 Jan 10, 07:33

  Shiokness, monday start school at 1pm!

• Ashianamarley

  27 Jan 10, 17:10

  this is the game that I do not miss.

• I-like-flings(m)

  27 Jan 10, 17:40

  hoot ar!!!

• grandmaster89

  28 Jan 10, 06:01

  I cannot decide between Nani or Valencia on the right wing ahaha

• jgho83

  28 Jan 10, 06:35

  Originally posted by grandmaster89:

  I cannot decide between Nani or Valencia on the right wing ahaha

  Nani's best position seems to be on the right... and based on current form, that berth should go to Nani.

   

  ps: Nani was like a hapless chicken all season but he suddenly found the form which at times is breathtaking.

• zocoss

  28 Jan 10, 20:17

  Arsenal v Manchester United to be shown live in 3D in Sky experiment

  • 3D version of match to be shown in nine pubs in five cities
  • Dedicated 3D channel to be launched in April

  

  The chance to watch Wayne Rooney in 3D is finally here. Photograph: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

   

   

   

  Sunday's match between Arsenal and Manchester United will be the world's first live 3D television sports broadcast, Sky said yesterday.

  The match at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium will be broadcast at nine pubs in London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Dublin as the public's first taste of live 3D football ahead of Sky's dedicated 3D channel launching in April.

  On Sunday Sky will transmit two live feeds – one to its traditional Sky Sports customers and another in 3D. Two separate commentary teams, two camera crews and two production teams will produce the simultaneous broadcasts. The former Arsenal centre-forward Alan Smith and the commentator Alan Parry will be the first voices of live 3D sport.

  Sky Sports' Darren Long dismissed the suggestion 3D sport was a gimmick and said the extra dimension gives viewers a greater appreciation of the action. "When you watch a golfer putting in 2D it looks flat – it looks easy," he said. "When you see it in 3D you can see every bump and contour on the green and you really appreciate their skill."

• zocoss

  28 Jan 10, 20:18

  Vermaelen injury gives Sol date with Rooney

   

   

   

  Comeback kid Sol Campbell salutes the Arsenal fans

   

  Sol Campbell is set to face English football's mission impossible on Sunday after Thomas Vermaelen's suspected broken leg put the 35-year-old two-time Arsenal defender in line to mark a red-hot Wayne Rooney at the Emirates Stadium.

  First-choice centre back Thomas Vermaelen suffered a possible broken leg in Arsenal's 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on Wednesday, thrusting Campbell into the position of guiding Arsenal through a potentially season-defining run of Premier League games including Manchester United on Sunday, then Chelsea and finally Liverpool in successive league matches.

  Campbell first had to negotiate around an hour of Villa's attack after Vermaelen was taken off in the first half at Villa Park. Vermaelen is due for scans on Thursday to determine whether he has a broken fibula, or if the problem is nerve-related.

  Of further concern to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is a hamstring tear suffered by striker Eduardo, who himself had been striving to fill the sizable boots of injured star Robin van Persie. Eduardo will miss Sunday's game at the very least, Wenger confirmed on Wednesday.

  Only four months ago, Campbell walked out on Notts County after just one match with the League Two side. Now, having made his Arsenal comeback in the FA Cup defeat at Stoke on Sunday, he seems likey to return to the dizzying heights of the Premier League title race.

  Should Wenger trust Campbell's 35-year-old legs with the task at hand, the likes of Rooney, who has five goals in two games, and Chelsea's powerhouse marksman Didier Drogba await.

• Tsh2005

  28 Jan 10, 21:26

  Arsenal don't stand a chance against ManU at this point in time.ManU is peaking and they'll steamrolled over the Arsenal boys.The tired old lads of Arsenal in defence will be shredded into pieces by the might of Rooney and the gang.

  The score would be probably in the region of 3-0 if Manu is merciful.

• Bus&Soccer l0v3r (VO3x 1)

  28 Jan 10, 21:28

  speaking of campbell
  
  can he run against rooney ma
  
  
  
  ?????
  
  
  

• Rooney9

  28 Jan 10, 23:44

  remmeber when liverpool playing man united at Anfield, alot of people were writing off liverpool chances. gerrard wasnt even playing and torres just came back from injury, yet liverpool comfortablty beaten united 2-0.

   

  I dun think united is the overwhelming favourites. form book is out of the window. whoever have the hunger and work harder than the other will win the match. fletcher will tackle and challenge fabregas and co all night long to prevent them from playing their passing game. if you let arsenal play their normal passing game, you will be murdered.

   

  I think fergie will play 4-5-1, with 5 midfielders and rooney as the lone striker again.

• sand king

  29 Jan 10, 09:08

  Boost for Arsenal as Vermaelen avoids leg break

   

  January 28, 2010

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  Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen has not fractured his leg but is doubtful for Sunday's Premier League clash with Manchester United, the club have confirmed.

  

  GettyImages

  Thomas Vermaelen has proved a good buy for Wenger

  Vermaelen limped off in the first half of the draw at Aston Villa on Wednesday night and afterwards manager Arsène Wenger asid that he feared the centre-back might have broken a bone.

  Scans on Thursday showed there was no break, but the leg injury could still sideline Vermaelen in the short term.

  "There is no fracture in Thomas' leg but his injury still has to be assessed," Wenger told the club's official website. "There is still a good chance he will not play on Sunday.

  "Eduardo has a small, small, small hamstring. He will be out for one week. He will not make Man United but he might make Chelsea.

  "However Emmanuel Eboue and Alex Song have been in this morning. Eboue has been running outside. They are both in good shape. Tired but in good shape. Both of them are available for Sunday. Unfortunately Abou will not be back this weekend but he could be for Chelsea."

• McVay

  29 Jan 10, 16:39

  Originally posted by Rooney9

   

  I think fergie will play 4-5-1, with 5 midfielders and rooney as the lone striker again.

   

  True

  Fergie will always use 4-5-1 for arsenal one.

   

• zocoss

  29 Jan 10, 23:50

  United have not won at Arsenal's home ground in the league since 2005... The best they can hope for is a draw... And without Rio, hopefully they can keep a clean sheet too.

• I-like-flings(m)

  30 Jan 10, 12:04

  Originally posted by McVay:

   

  True

  Fergie will always use 4-5-1 for arsenal one.

   

  
  actually... he always do that with big team... dunno why.... and he usually lose when doing that..... Man Utd is all about attacking football... not about draws......knn...always sian 1/2 when he do that

• grandmaster89

  30 Jan 10, 15:36

  Very difficult to play 4-4-2 against a strong side because we lack a strong midfield.

  To play 4-4-2, you need the following components -

  a) 2 strong pacy wingers with the ability to track back and help the full-back to prevent pocket of space forming in United's own half. United doesn't have any left winger capable of doing so. We cannot expect Ryan Giggs to be running up and down.

  b) A hardman defensive midfielder who is also capable of spraying passes to distribute the ball. Essentially this is a Flecther + Carrick job. Owen Hargreaves is capable but he is injured.

  c) An attacking midfielder playing behind the strikers with excellent vision. He also needs to perforn defensive duties or else the midfield will get over-whelmed. Paul Scholes, at age 35, can no longer be expected to this. He needs a fellow midfielder to help him out hence a 3 man midfield.

  Essentially we play 4-5-1 in order to carry our old-man Giggs and Scholes and shore up our weak defence. If we had Fabregas and Hargreaves = 4-4-2 will work well. United midfield isn't as strong as many may think it is. I think we have the weakest central midfield in terms of talent among the Big 4. We are lucky that our 3 CMs complement each other really well.

• omgukilledkenny

  30 Jan 10, 15:45

  Confirm 4-5-1 de lol.

• grandmaster89

  30 Jan 10, 17:46

  Originally posted by omgukilledkenny:

  Confirm 4-5-1 de lol.

  Did you watch the Man City match in mid week - United employed the 4-5-1 brilliantly.

  Very European style of playing. Containment football with flecther and carrick making runs into the box while nani pumps in crosses and scholes starts the attack with inch-perfect long passes.

• likeyou

  30 Jan 10, 17:48

  My prediction:

   

  Asn 1 M u 3

• omgukilledkenny

  30 Jan 10, 20:05

  Originally posted by grandmaster89:

  Did you watch the Man City match in mid week - United employed the 4-5-1 brilliantly.

  Very European style of playing. Containment football with flecther and carrick making runs into the box while nani pumps in crosses and scholes starts the attack with inch-perfect long passes.

  Yes the formation has often worked out, But I also remember the bad day that the formation had in the game against Barca in the UCL final.

  If the midfield doesn't click, it will fail badly. I remember the central midfielders(Fletcher wasn't playing ) just sitting back and were hugely reliant on the flanks.

  The midfield has to be daring enough to commit themselves forward and support the lone striker.

  or maybe its just cause the opponents were Barca too lol.

   

• Rooney9

  30 Jan 10, 20:26

  Originally posted by omgukilledkenny:

  Yes the formation has often worked out, But I also remember the bad day that the formation had in the game against Barca in the UCL final.

  If the midfield doesn't click, it will fail badly. I remember the central midfielders(Fletcher wasn't playing ) just sitting back and were hugely reliant on the flanks.

  The midfield has to be daring enough to commit themselves forward and support the lone striker.

  or maybe its just cause the opponents were Barca too lol.

   

  remember the first 10 mins where barcelona was on the back foot and united were attacking in waves after waves and Ronaldo almost scored. then Bracelona first attack and etoo scored. afterwards its all barcelona all the way. I am not sure how on earth did the first goal so badly deflated united, esp in the 99 finals, Bayern scored first and almost won the match if not for the last min goals. where were the tackling, chasing and never say die attitude? apparently it was missing.

• grandmaster89

  30 Jan 10, 21:53

  Against barca - I believe we lacked both Flecther and Scholes. I recalled reading some Barca fanboards about how much their feared Scholes considering him to be the brains of United midfield. Lets not forget that it was his goal in the semis against Barca that secured our place in the Finals in the 2008 CL season. Sadly he was suspended haha.

  We played Carrick and Anderson in CM. It is little wonder that we only lost 2-0 haha :)

  Though I sometimes wondered if we had won the CL, would Ronaldo stayed on ???

• omgukilledkenny

  30 Jan 10, 21:53

  Originally posted by Rooney9:

  remember the first 10 mins where barcelona was on the back foot and united were attacking in waves after waves and Ronaldo almost scored. then Bracelona first attack and etoo scored. afterwards its all barcelona all the way. I am not sure how on earth did the first goal so badly deflated united, esp in the 99 finals, Bayern scored first and almost won the match if not for the last min goals. where were the tackling, chasing and never say die attitude? apparently it was missing.

  ok la, let bygones be bygones.