Arsene Wenger gamble fails as Gunners falter

If Arsenal are to overcome Manchester United next week then Arsene Wenger must surely ditch the tactical calamity that nearly cost his side their shot at Champions League glory.

Had this been the heavy defeat it should have been, serious questions would have met the selection of winger Samir Nasri as a holding midfielder and Abou Diaby on the left wing which was responsible for the Gunners losing all attacking fluidity to reduce their ambition to simply repelling United's incessant attacks.

Whether Wenger lost his bottle is up for debate but for all the pre-match talk of serving up typical high-octane Premier League flair, in the event Arsenal gave a performance typical of so many European away days this season.

They were disjointed like in Kiev, slow out of the blocks as in Villarreal but, perhaps most significantly, they were equally lucky as against Roma to escape with only a 1-0 defeat.

But bizarrely the result is a curious one because it provides the victors with regret and gives Arsenal hope that all is far from lost. "The tie is very open," said Wenger. "They can have regrets because they didn't score a second goal and it is down to us to make them regret that.

"We were not dangerous enough offensively. After the first 20 minutes the game was more balanced than you think but we were not sharp enough in the final third.

"Defensively, we had quite a positive game but we were in a position where we had to come out to try to score.

"The positive is that we are only 1-0 down, that we play at home and I am convinced that you will see a different Arsenal team at Emirates."

That may need to be the case as although Arsenal will have much more than the 45 per cent possession they had last night, Nasri must surely be restored to the left wing where he can offset the absence of Andrey Arshavin in a way Diaby is incapable of.

There is no better example of Nasri's attacking quality from wide areas than against the same opponents back in November, when Arsenal beat United at home and the Frenchman scored them both.

Diaby was presumably selected to provide full-back Kieran Gibbs with extra protection against Cristiano Ronaldo but that plan backfired as United had already created two glorious chances down that flank by the time John O'Shea opened the scoring by lashing in Michael Carrick's deflected cross.

With fourth place in the League all but secure, Wenger can reassess and "will rest one or two" players for Saturday's trip to Portsmouth, while United play at Middlesbrough at lunchtime that day with the title very much still at stake.

"That's Arsenal's big advantage really," said Sir Alex Ferguson, who is awaiting the results of a scan on an injury to Rio Ferdinand. "They could play Pat Rice at right-back and Arsene Wenger up front if they like. It doesn't matter to them at Portsmouth.

"We have to play a team to win the game at Middlesbrough. We have a lunchtime kick-off, I don't think it's right but we have to get on with it."

Two years ago, United beat AC Milan 3-2 at home before a Saturday lunchtime game against Everton and a Tuesday night return leg in the San Siro, where they crumbled 3-0, but Ferguson believes he now has the squad to cope with the same programme.

"When you have been in Europe as long as these young players have now, we don't expect to capitulate as we did in Milan," he said.

"The difference is that in Milan I was playing the same players on the Saturday against Everton.

"Now I have got a squad and I will use it - the whole midfield will change and the players up front probably will too."

That is understandable given United packed their side with energy in midfield last night with Darren Fletcher, Anderson and Carrick able to stifle Arsenal and provide the impetus to attack. Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Ronaldo could all have scored before the break and the Portuguese winger crashed a dipping 25-yard strike against the bar midway through the second half.

Arsenal substitute Nicklas Bendtner had a half-chance near the end to steal a draw his side barely deserved, although the rearguard action was yet another exhibition of the fighting spirit Wenger's youngsters have shown in the face of adversity throughout this season.

"When you play at home and you know that you can go to the final, we will be up for it," he said.

They will need to be, as United have not lost a European match since May 2007 - a run lasting 24 games - but the mere fact the Gunners still have an opportunity to end the club's trophy drought revived memories of the last time silverware was attained.

Ironically, Arsenal were torn apart by United and yet went on to lift the 2005 FA Cup - Wenger would palpably settle for a repeat outcome next week but no away goal makes for a difficult balancing act.

His Diaby/Nasri experiment failed at Old Trafford last night and there is a growing feeling that Cesc Fabregas cannot produce his best in his new attacking midfield role.

The Romans were renowned for their straight roads but Arsenal now face a circuitous route in their bid to reach the Eternal City next month.