The 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford was Arsenal’s heaviest in the Premier League era and one which many hoped was a nadir in the club’s fortunes.
Borne off the back of a mismanaged summer, a rag-tag Arsenal side fell apart that day and were picked off by a ruthless United side. The defeat sparked signings and a resurgence in form, until recent games, but skipper Robin van Persie, who missed a says that the memories of that day are still fresh and will act a stimulus ahead of this Sunday’s re-match.
“Everyone has been looking really sharp in training this week,” he said, “so we’re ready for the game and feeling positive about it.
“We know exactly what we’re in for – Manchester United are great competitors who often manage to nick a game even if they seem to be struggling.
“What happened against Manchester United at Old Trafford is a motivation, for sure. I’d never lost a match 8-2 before so I’m hungry to put that right, as is the entire team.”
Arsenal will be without the injured Mikel Arteta while Thomas Vermaelen and Thierry Henry are doubtful, both of them suffering with calf problems.
And while the days of The Arsenal – United duopoly are long gone, Arsene Wenger says this is still a massive game for football fans across the world.
“It’s still the same,” he said. “It is not the only game anymore because you have Chelsea and Man City coming in, with Liverpool still there. But it is a game that is watched all over the world.”
Not sure I remember the game referred to above :/
How odd
Hope we can put one over United. However, with no fullbacks, a weakened spine to the team, and little threat out wide, that is going to be a big ask.
I hope everyone does step up and we do get revenge
may God bless the Gunners! Victory 4 us!
Not sure of God is a full back.
‘Borne off the back of a mismanaged summer, a rag-tag Arsenal side fell apart that day and were picked off by a ruthless United side.’
I fear we could replace the word ‘summer’, for ‘January’. We seem to be exactly where we were before the old Trafford debacle, on the back of a defeat, injuries to important players and no movement in the transfer window. I fear united’s wing play will expose our full back problems.
Let’s hope this team shows a real spirit to dig out a great result.
Agreed; minus Vermaelen and Arteta (injured and at everton respectively) we also have no full backs, which is nice.
I’m sat across from my boss who unfortunately is a United fan and we’ve just been discussing this very thing.
I wonder which fans gave the thumbs down to this…
The OT result was a freak and has no relevance.
One nil (at least) to The Arsenal doesn’t look like too big an ask. JamU don’t look all that good. Their goalie is blind, and how many of the rest of them do we actually covet? None, that’s how many. They’re not that good.
I hope for 2 – 0 to the Arsenal. It will be a good springboard for the rest of the season. COYG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Hope you’re right Dave G, but how many of our players do they covet?
Wilshere, RvP, Song, Szcz, TV – definitely
Sagna, Koscielny, Walcott, Ramsay, Gervinho – most likely
I mean look at their midfield and defence.
Only Rooney and Nani would be shoe-ins to a fit Arsenal first XI, and Ronney is a potato faced cunt who we’d rather not bother with thanks very much.
Having said all that Scholes and Giggs will probably have a fucking field day now, it’ll be like a Saga holiday on the bloody pitch
Forget all this reverse psychology about getting beaten. Remember: optimist or pessimist, the outcome will be the same but the optimist will have had a better time.
Come on you rip roaring gunners
So long as De Gea doesn’t manage to somehow slip and block Robin’s penalty again… I kid, I kid!
I’d love to ruin United’s title chances with half the team out. City are doing things a bit too much the Chelsea way, but nothing would annoy the hell out of Manure than for the ‘noisy neighbours’ to win the league.
Agree, it’s horrible seeing money win the title, but probably a wafer thin improvement on seeing the Glazerhawks win again – particularly as it’ll wind Ferguson up.
Not as much as the “we all like to think we have the best looking wives at home” comment Wenger made to put Demento down in 2002, but it’ll still wind him up. And that’s something, at least.
Was it that long ago? Still a classic.
To the tun of ‘paradise’
Rooney’s a fat bastard,
Who just ate all the pies,
Stay away from my Gran,
And please do up your fliesss
And do some exer, exer, exercise..
You start it then and we’ll all join in…..honest!
Somehow I don’t beleive you corp. quality
“Everyone has been looking really sharp in training this week” – RVP
Everyone except TV5, TH, Diaby, Arteta, Sagna, Santos, Coq, Jack, Chamakh, Gervinho, Jenkinson, Frimmer.
Yikes!
COYG!
perhaps he meant to say “everyone has trodden on something really sharp in training this week – nails, broken glass, carpet nails”
If we go at them with the same intensity as they went at us in “the game that shall not be named” then I think we’ve got a chance, though I can’t really see us not conceding. I can’t see them not conceding either though. Their defense it shite. Another high scoring game beckons I reckon. COYG
Not sure how this one is going to go, but we can definitely give them a good game!
I don’t want to be pessimistic at this time, neither should any other fan. The team needs all the support they can get/ Come on Arsenal!
two words: jonny evans
i mean, come on
if we’re mad at arshavin imagine how all those home counties reds are feeling about jonny… heh
“It’s still the same,” he said. “It is not the only game anymore because you have Chelsea and Man City coming in, with Liverpool still there.
I love it that he didn’t mention the scum
I think more people should not mention them… Wait who are we talking about? GOYG
Yeah I just made up a new thing Go On You Gunners haha
[…] has played down talk of revenge but Robin van Persie has said that what happened at Old Trafford is a motivating factor for him. And so it should be for the rest of the team. I know you can look at it with a cold, analytical […]
[…] Van Persie has beentalking about revenge, Wenger pretends to have forgotten about it, while Szczesny says that this is a different game. And […]
[…] Robin van Persie, Wojciech Szczesny isn’t eyeing revenge against Manchester United because he’s already put the […]