I watched the United v Arsenal game last weekend and have to say the best thing about it for me was seeing Arsene Wenger back to his stroppy best. Not only that though, but seeing him look so utterly stupid into the bargain.
Still obviously ticked off from the whole Eduardo ‘thing’, he then had to stand and watch as yet another one of his players blatantly took a dive. He must’ve been thinking ‘how the bloody hell am I meant to defend that now?’ Simple, you gloss over the fact your players dive, pretend you didn’t lose your rag in front of the watching millions or take a right royal public piss take from the United supporters you chose to stand directly in front of when sent from the dug-out – and you moan about the opposition being too rough.
Despite what appeared to be the makings of a wonderful new friendship developing between Fergie and Wenger, the whingeing Frenchman risked it all in the aftermath of defeat by lashing out at United’s tactics, or more specifically Darren Fletcher’s. And football writer Mick Dennis sums up Wenger’s reaction perfectly, saying “Wenger’s portrayal of Manchester United as “anti-football” was plain bonkers. It was the Frenchman at his worst; graceless in defeat, seeing conspiracies everywhere and railing like a madman at every perceived injustice. Arsene Whinger. In life generally, but especially in football, all of us see events and people in binary terms; either good or bad. Wenger is both guilty of this over-simplification and a victim of it. Because he has an obsessive passion for his work at Arsenal, he cannot accept any critique, nor tolerate any frustration. Then, because he rants in such a preposterously partisan way, letting unhappiness that Darren Fletcher was not booked fester into far too big an issue, Wenger makes us think he is just a sore loser. So we ignore all his protestations – even if, in his complaints about UEFA’s pursuit of Eduardo, he is correct.”
However, whilst I was busy amusing myself with Wenger’s rantings, there was a side to them I hadn’t considered. In a piece for the Express though, Dennis points out “Wenger’s wrong-headed reaction has reopened his Sir Alex Ferguson enmity. Instead of these two grandees acknowledging each other’s contribution with respect and admiration, an ancient feud is revived. Now they risk repeating a mistake that cost them both dearly. Five years ago next month, Arsenal’s record-breaking unbeaten sequence ended in acrimony at Old Trafford and, as the insults and pizzas were thrown, both clubs failed to realise that the real enemy was someone else. While they nursed grudges against each other, Jose Mourinho harvested enough points to give Chelsea the title. This season there is a very real danger of Arsenal and United focusing their energies in the wrong direction again. While they snipe at each other, a new arrival is organising another efficient team over at Stamford Bridge. Carlo Ancelotti and Chelsea will be the beneficiaries of Wenger’s self-deluding animosity towards United. The Arsenal manager should shut up and win his games.”
It’s a bloody good point but is he right though? If Wenger and Fergie start all their old bitching at each other again, would that really be enough to take their eyes off the ball (so to speak)?
Blue is the colour
