Arsenal an average club?

Has Wenger opened mouth and inserted foot? (Picture: AP)

They were dismantled by Man United in the Champions League and yesterday by Chelsea in the Premiership.

Arsene Wenger still insists that his Arsenal side are not too far from Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United though and any one who has seen the Gunners in recent games will be hard pressed to see where the Professor is coming from.

What would Fergie’s and Wenger’s starting lineups be like tomorrow morning?

(Picture: AFP)

SIR ALEX Ferguson and Arsene Wenger are set to renew their long-standing rivalry tomorrow morning (Singapore time) as Manchester United face Arsenal in the first-leg Champions League semi-final at Old Trafford.

The two managers have fought epic managerial battles since the Frenchman took charge of the London club in 1996, with sly jabs thrown in either direction from time to time.

And given the recent circumstances, it would be interesting to see how both managers will select their starting lineups.

For United, the spotlight will fall squarely on its front-line. United’s Wayne Rooney and company had to rely on the introduction of Carlos Tevez against Spurs to spark a stirring second-half comeback. The 4-2-4 formation – with Rooney, Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov and Cristiano Ronaldo – tore into the Lilywhites’ defence and put five past a hapless Heurelho Gomes, who had been outstanding in the first half.

United certainly need to score goals, given that they are again faced with the unfamiliar situation of playing at home in the first-leg, but Fergie will surely remember how Arsenal dominated the midfield in their 2-1 victory over the Red Devils earlier this season, and scheme to prevent a similar situation.

For Arsenal, changes are afoot, with Andrei Arshavin cup-tied and Robin van Persie and Eduardo doubtful due to injury. Wenger has been quoted as saying that he is considering moving Samir Nasri – the star of the Gunners’ 2-1 victory over United last November – to a central holding midfield position or the left flank to plug the gap left by Arshavin’s absence.

If you were Ferguson or Wenger, how would you select the players for your starting lineup, and what formation would you use?

It all boils down to Arsenal and Spurs

The fate of the Premiership title this season lies in the hands of Eduardo and Cesc Fabregas. (Picture: AP)

AS THE dust settles upon the humiliating 4-1 defeat of Manchester United by Liverpool on Saturday night, the Premiership title race seems to have become a little tighter, a little more exciting, since Chelsea and Liverpool have closed the gap at the top to just four points.

Even though United still have a game in hand over their closest rivals, there are still 10 games to go and history has proven that anything can happen, even if you have a 12-point lead in January.

Arsenal and Spurs may just be the clubs that could decide the destination of the Premiership trophy come May.

Are the English clubs heading for a slaughter tomorrow morning?

CHAMPIONS League action returns tomorrow morning (Singapore time), as Italian clubs Inter Milan and Roma face off against English clubs Manchester United and Arsenal.

While English football seem to be on the ascent, with three of last season’s Champions League semi-finalists hailing from England, tomorrow’s fixtures could prove tricky for both United and Arsenal.

United’s defence is decimated by injuries – with Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra the only fully fit and eligible defenders available. With Anderson still out through injury, United could be forced to draft Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher into defence, or rush John O’Shea and Jonny Evans back from injury.

On the other hand, Inter are riding high on top of the Serie A table, with Jose Mourinho managing to bring the best out of Adriano, who seemed to be on his way out of the club earlier this season. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is reaching the peak of his career, while Mourinho has an excellent track record against Alex Ferguson, winning five of their 10 Premiership encounters when he was at Chelsea.

In the other “Italy v England” game, Arsenal’s midfield is decimated by long-term injuries. Cesc Fabregas, Eduardo, Tomas Rosicky, Theo Walcott are all out, while Andrei Arshavin is cup-tied, leaving a shaky midfield core of Denilson and Alexandre Song. That, and the fact that Arsenal’s goals have dried up of late, is hardly comforting for any fans of the London club.

Roma will probably play their usual 4-6-0 formation, choking the midfield while constantly rotating the targetman, with Francesco Totti pulling the strings.

Will the English clubs survive the Italian onslaught tomorrow morning? I hope not, but I am not holding my breath on that.

Can Eduardo save Arsenal’s season?

STRIKER Eduardo marked his return from a horrific leg injury in style, scoring two goals to help Arsenal breeze past Cardiff in a 4-0 FA Cup victory early this morning (Singapore time).

The Croatian’s return came at a time where the Gunners are lying fifth in the table – currently out of contention for a Champions League berth – and goals all but drying up, with just one goal in their previous four games in all competitions.

Arsene Wenger’s team is also missing presence of playmaker Cesc Fabregas, while new recruit Andrei Arshavin has not tasted action at the Emirates since moving from Zenit St Petersburg in the January transfer window.

Could Eduardo be just the man to save Arsenal faltering season?

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: Yes he can. The Brazilian-born Croatian was showing so much promise last season before he had his leg broken in a clash with Birmingham’s Martin Taylor a year ago.

Up to the Birmingham game in Febuary last season, Eduardo was joint second on Arsenal’s list of top scorers in all competitions, tying with Fabregas with 12 goals. Emmanuel Adebayor topped the list with 22 goals up to the point.

Q&A with Letter of the Weekend winner Alan Song

Hi all,

Welcome to this new section in the Postman, where we conduct a short Q&A with our Letter of the Week and Weekend winners.

Our inaugural interview is Alan Song, who won the Letter of the Weekend on Tuesday. Read below on what he has to say about the recent flurry of transfers at the end of the January window and Liverpool’s recent victory over Chelsea.

Do you think Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Chelsea will be the turning point for the Reds, after their recent string of results?

It will be only a short turning point. This result will rejuvenate them to win for next 3 to 4 matches but this rejuvenation will not last long as they tend to go back to their old habit of defending their lead again instead of trying to score more goals.

More draws are expected but I do not see them losing matches but the drawn matches would already have cost them the title.

Match React: Holland v Russia

This match is set to be a mouth-watering clash between the tournament’s form team and a team that has been revitalised by the return of its playmaker.

The immensely talented Dutch players have seemingly put aside their infamous infighting to play as a team, and how terrifying they are when they are on song. Reigning world champions Italy were torn apart in the first match, former world and Euro00 champions France were obliterated in the second, and a second-string Dutch side ripped Romania apart in the third.