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Arsene Wenger: My big guns will wreck Manchester United’s title party
Chris Hatherall14.05.09
Arsene Wenger has defiantly declared Arsenal are as good as Manchester United in attack and will prove it by delaying the defending champions' title celebrations.
United need just one point from their last two matches to retain their crown and Wayne Rooney is anxious his side do that against the Gunners at Old Trafford on Saturday. The striker is fed up of chants from Arsenal fans reminding them they won the Premier League at the home of their rivals in 2002.
This season Arsenal are 18 points behind Sir Alex Ferguson's men but Wenger insists his side can match their opponents' firepower and have only been let down by their defending.
“I feel the 18-point gap is a reflection we have to take on the chin,” said the Arsenal manager.
“What people forget is that we were very far behind very early on and dropped too many points.
“United are world champions, European champions and will be champions of England. Everybody has to come back next year and beat them.
“We have a very promising team who can deliver very soon. If you look at the statistics of the teams, we have scored a similar amount of goals.
In the passing quality in the final third and in the opposition half, we are as good as United. We have conceded more goals and that's where the difference lies.
“We have conceded 36, they have conceded 24, we have scored 64 they have scored 67.
“Offensively, I do not believe there is a difference. Defensively, there was a difference.
“It will be them or Liverpool. It looks like it will be United but we can still delay it. We definitely have a point to prove.”
The bad news for Wenger, though, is that Rooney is on a mission to seal the title against the Gunners.
Since 2002, Arsenal supporters have sung: “We won the League in Manchester”, after Sylvain Wiltord scored the winner at Old Trafford to clinch a remarkable Double.
Thanks to last night's 2-1 victory at Wigan, United are now on the verge of their third title in a row and Rooney said: “One point will win the title for us. Hopefully that can come on
Saturday.
“It would be brilliant to do it in front of our own fans and to win it against Arsenal. When they come to Old Trafford you always hear them singing about winning the title here, so it would be nice to win against them. That would be special.”
Arsenal's hopes of stopping United have been boosted by the news that Andrey Arshavin is fit to play after recovering from a virus.
However, the Gunners will be without goalkeeper Manuel Almunia because of an ankle problem and although Wenger revealed Tomas Rosicky has returned to training after hamstring and leg problems, the Czech midfielder joins Gael Clichy (back), Eduardo (groin) and William Gallas (knee) on the sidelines.
Reader views (9)
Another season and the cabinet is empty,heart goes out to you loyal fans.
- Terminator, london,uk
Arsene Wenger - time for you to move. We have had enough of your priase of the young team. They are just not good enough - FULL STOP!
- Kk Han, London
James, good call, but you wait until those "wonderful" Geordies get relegated, then you'll see fickle at its best...
- Stu, Beckton
Even as an Arsenal fan, Wenger's incessant pronouncements of faith and belief in his team are becoming infuriating. We KNOW they are young, we KNOW they are inexperienced but WE, the fans, don't care. They're just not getting the job done. Much as we love the champagne football, what we'd prefer is some beer league scrappiness and toughness when the situation demands, irrespective of the opposition. We'll always score goals - Arsene builds his teams that way but he has commented for the past THREE seasons on the number of goals we have conceded relative to Man U, Chelsea and Liverpool (and relative to his own expectations) without doing a blessed thing about it. For the umpteenth time, Mr. Wenger, we need more experience, more size, more strength and a greater degree of physicality in the side and the squad. That means buying one, possibly two, tall, rugged central defenders (and, no, that doesn't mean bringing Senderos back) as well as a combative holding midfield player. A genuine physical presence in the central striking role wouldn't go amiss either (i.e. bye-bye Adebayor). While he's at it, he should also look at appointing a dedicated defensive coach. If we focus on making the defensive side of our game more secure the rest will fall in to place. Call me old fashioned, but I wouldn't mind hearing "one-nil to the Arsenal" a good deal more often next season!
- Speed Racer, Tokyo, Japan
There he goes again. Wenger raised our hopes so much this season with expressions that almost border on hyperbole. He promised "magnificent football" to upturn the first leg UEFA Champions League semi final deficit against Man U and we got battered at home.
Man U has nicked the title, so Wenger should not bore us with another hollow promise. I want to hear from him his plans to match all the big guns next season. That is what counts now.
- Pius Mordi, Lagos, Nigeria
J Windsoe & A Messina
Sour grapes by the bucket full. The striking thing about the Arsenal fans is that they are as graceless and ungracious as the Arsenal manager. You two wouldn't be part of the thousands of Arsenal fans leaving the Emirates with thirty minutes to play in your last two games, would you? Arsenal fans, the most fickle in the world.
- James Hennessy, london england
Roony our team engine.we are confident he will successd.
- Zerihun Shuta Assefa, Addiss abeba
man utd are very successful but all the profit they make pays for their massive debt , is this an achievement or a disater waiting to happen
- J Windsor, LONDON ENGLAND
Rooney should stick to playing and not talking.
He is always attacking other supporters, First Liverpool and now Arsenal.He is frustrated.
Arsenal won the league At Man United, at Liverpool and at Spurs. Arsenal also won it aginst MAN United at Highbury. But to loose the title in front of your own crowd is hard to swollow.
A.Messina
- A.Messina, Malta
