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Comment: Will Liverpool’s Caution Suit Manchester United?
It remains a title race on which no teams have yet imposed themselves, as an inconclusive draw at the Emirates raised more questions than answers about Liverpool and Arsenal, but will have satisfied both Manchester United and Chelsea.
Dec 21, 2008 3:30:10 PM
The most obvious conclusion to draw from today's sometimes tempestuous
stalemate at the Emirates between fifth-placed Arsenal and League
leaders Liverpool is that newly-crowned world club champions Manchester
United will be delighted with the result, while Chelsea - who could
reclaim top spot tomorrow night by beating Everton at Goodison - will
also be happy it ended all-square.
Missed Opportunity?
As for the two protagonists, there is plenty to ponder. Liverpool remain eight points ahead of Arsenal, but this was a missed opportunity for the Merseysiders, who again displayed the inherent caution of their manager Rafael Benitez, which may yet inhibit their chances of claiming the longed-for title come May. The Reds (wearing gray) were shading the game before falling behind, recovered to equalize and were again controlling matters when Emmanuel Adebayor was sent off on 62 minutes for a second bookable offense.
That dismissal gave Liverpool the perfect opening to go for the jugular and effectively rule Arsenal out of the hunt by inflicting on them a sixth Premier League defeat before Christmas. Instead it was the 10-man Gunners, spurred on by a crowd suddenly roused through a perceived sense of injustice into raucous, impassioned support, who seized the initiative.
Rafa's Remote Control
Benitez, recovering from his recent hospitalization, was not present inside the Emirates - but his influence certainly was. Connected to the Liverpool bench through the wonders of modern technology, he was relaying instructions which assistant Sammy Lee was dutifully conveying to the team. If ever Arsenal were there for the taking in this mishmash of a season for the North Londoners, this was the moment.
But rather than put two men up-front to keep at least one of the Gunners' full-backs occupied and prevent him bombing forward down the flanks, Liverpool retreated, playing a containing game that might well have back-fired as Arsenal, numerically disadvantaged, ironically enjoyed their best spell of the match. We're all familiar with the cliche that it is difficult to play against ten men, though I've never been able to find a logical reason why this should be; but you could not see Manchester United reacting in such a cautious way. Will Liverpool need to be bolder to claim their first championship since 1990? I suspect they might
From Ragged To Gritty
As for Arsenal, their season was in some respects encapsulated in this match. They were nervy, tentative and too often sloppy in their distribution either side of conceiving and executing a truly sublime goal, converted by Robin van Persie, that underlined their creative potential. Then the ever-present vulnerability at the heart of their defense was ruthlessly exposed by a long ball over the top that caught Johan Djourou out of position and flat-footed, allowing Robbie Keane to thunder a stunning half-volley into their net.
The bad run of injuries that has dogged this campaign then struck again, with potentially very damaging consequences. In effecting a block tackle on Xabi Alonso just before half-time, captain Cesc Fabregas suffered what looked a potentially serious knee injury. The Catalan playmaker limped off in obvious distress, and could well be out for several weeks, which will punch another gaping hole in Arsenal's title - and possibly even top-four - ambitions.
Yet when that misfortune was compounded by Adebayor's sending off for two near-identical and ill-advised challenges, Arsenal found reserves of spirit and determination that had remained largely hidden, and widely doubted, up to that point this season. Indeed, what the Gunners will take most from this game is the character they displayed in adversity, with Denilson and Alex Song suddenly growing in stature and putting in tenacious shifts.
Whatever Next?
Will that be enough, especially without Fabregas? Probably not, because there remains something unbalanced and unfulfilled about Arsenal this term. They have taken seven points from nine against fellow Big Four clubs, but too few against everyone else. Liverpool have an identical record in Big Four encounters, but have shown much greater consistency overall. They will be first or second at Christmas, with Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano (absent today through illness) to come back, and it's still the case that they haven't really hit their stride yet this season, so they will fancy their chances of going on to lift silverware.
But Manchester United in particular will look at this result and feel invigorated as they head back from Japan. They now have two games in hand on their title rivals, and they know better than most how to exploit opportunities to their advantage. Liverpool are still learning, while Arsenal should now be more concerned about finishing in the top four places than trying to win the title. Aston Villa, the team they need to overhaul, are their next opponents, on Boxing Day.
--Graham Lister, Goal.com
Missed Opportunity?
As for the two protagonists, there is plenty to ponder. Liverpool remain eight points ahead of Arsenal, but this was a missed opportunity for the Merseysiders, who again displayed the inherent caution of their manager Rafael Benitez, which may yet inhibit their chances of claiming the longed-for title come May. The Reds (wearing gray) were shading the game before falling behind, recovered to equalize and were again controlling matters when Emmanuel Adebayor was sent off on 62 minutes for a second bookable offense.
That dismissal gave Liverpool the perfect opening to go for the jugular and effectively rule Arsenal out of the hunt by inflicting on them a sixth Premier League defeat before Christmas. Instead it was the 10-man Gunners, spurred on by a crowd suddenly roused through a perceived sense of injustice into raucous, impassioned support, who seized the initiative.
Rafa's Remote Control
Benitez, recovering from his recent hospitalization, was not present inside the Emirates - but his influence certainly was. Connected to the Liverpool bench through the wonders of modern technology, he was relaying instructions which assistant Sammy Lee was dutifully conveying to the team. If ever Arsenal were there for the taking in this mishmash of a season for the North Londoners, this was the moment.
But rather than put two men up-front to keep at least one of the Gunners' full-backs occupied and prevent him bombing forward down the flanks, Liverpool retreated, playing a containing game that might well have back-fired as Arsenal, numerically disadvantaged, ironically enjoyed their best spell of the match. We're all familiar with the cliche that it is difficult to play against ten men, though I've never been able to find a logical reason why this should be; but you could not see Manchester United reacting in such a cautious way. Will Liverpool need to be bolder to claim their first championship since 1990? I suspect they might
From Ragged To Gritty
As for Arsenal, their season was in some respects encapsulated in this match. They were nervy, tentative and too often sloppy in their distribution either side of conceiving and executing a truly sublime goal, converted by Robin van Persie, that underlined their creative potential. Then the ever-present vulnerability at the heart of their defense was ruthlessly exposed by a long ball over the top that caught Johan Djourou out of position and flat-footed, allowing Robbie Keane to thunder a stunning half-volley into their net.
The bad run of injuries that has dogged this campaign then struck again, with potentially very damaging consequences. In effecting a block tackle on Xabi Alonso just before half-time, captain Cesc Fabregas suffered what looked a potentially serious knee injury. The Catalan playmaker limped off in obvious distress, and could well be out for several weeks, which will punch another gaping hole in Arsenal's title - and possibly even top-four - ambitions.
Yet when that misfortune was compounded by Adebayor's sending off for two near-identical and ill-advised challenges, Arsenal found reserves of spirit and determination that had remained largely hidden, and widely doubted, up to that point this season. Indeed, what the Gunners will take most from this game is the character they displayed in adversity, with Denilson and Alex Song suddenly growing in stature and putting in tenacious shifts.
Whatever Next?
Will that be enough, especially without Fabregas? Probably not, because there remains something unbalanced and unfulfilled about Arsenal this term. They have taken seven points from nine against fellow Big Four clubs, but too few against everyone else. Liverpool have an identical record in Big Four encounters, but have shown much greater consistency overall. They will be first or second at Christmas, with Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano (absent today through illness) to come back, and it's still the case that they haven't really hit their stride yet this season, so they will fancy their chances of going on to lift silverware.
But Manchester United in particular will look at this result and feel invigorated as they head back from Japan. They now have two games in hand on their title rivals, and they know better than most how to exploit opportunities to their advantage. Liverpool are still learning, while Arsenal should now be more concerned about finishing in the top four places than trying to win the title. Aston Villa, the team they need to overhaul, are their next opponents, on Boxing Day.
--Graham Lister, Goal.com
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