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Arsenal disintegrate in 8-2 loss to United

Comment: 0 August 29th, 2011 by: admin

Arsene Wenger’s woes reached an apex as his Gunners took a brutal beating Sunday in Old Trafford.

Featuring a Wayne Rooney hat-trick, doubles by Alex Young, plus one each for Danny Welbeck, Nani and Park Ji-Sung, Manchester United handed Arsenal an 8-2 defeat, condemning the Gunners to their biggest loss in 84 years.

The squad’s eventual undoing started fast, allowing a Red Devils 3-1 domination by the first half’s close. The first period saw Welbeck convert in the 22nd minute; Young followed suit 6 minutes later before setting up Rooney for Man United’s third goal, and his 150th.

Faced with Arsenal’s weak schoolyard defence, the Devils ran riot in the second half, with Alex Young again setting up a 64th minute goal by Rooney, who then teed up for Nani 3 minutes after.

Park entered the game to relieve Nani in the 68th minute, before immediately converting (via another Young setup) by the 70-minute mark. The waning minutes saw a Rooney penalty goal, and another shot by Young that concluded United’s run-around of what was by then a destroyed Arsenal squad.

Amidst the Devils’ domination, slight moments of weakened United defence let in 2 Arsenal goals, one by Theo Walcott in first period extra time, and one by Robin van Persie in the 75th minute.

The Gunners’ unfavourable fortunes also included a dismissal of Carl Jenkinson, tallying Arsenal at 3 red cards in 3 games.
The game sends United to the top of the English Premier League table, passing bitter rivals Manchester City on goal difference. Arsenal on the other hand settle at 17th place with 1 point.

With Cesc Fabregas and Nasri’s departures bringing in £60 million, Wenger faces the challenge of making good use of what could be a range of insufficient solutions considering Arsenal’s degree of needed reconstruction.

‘It’s difficult when you lose 8-2’, he told reporters. ‘You don’t talk too much because it hurts and you are accused of looking for excuses. At the moment I had better not speak.’
This recent massacre had only increased the growing calls for massive changes in Arsenal’s strategy – and managerial structure. At the moment, critics and media have begun to swoop in, crowding Wenger with questions about his future with the squad.

Similar, albeit more brutal, sentiments were echoing from the United crowd Sunday, with taunts suggesting Wenger was ‘getting sacked in the morning.’

‘How much personally am I to blame? I don’t know – as much as you want,’ said Wenger. ‘I am in a public job and I have to accept that criticism.’

The manager however took a slightly more adamant tone, arguing that his record at Arsenal should prove him worthy of more trust.

‘In my 15 years here I have brought some good players for Arsenal and you should give me more time before saying whether I have got it right.’

There to defend Wenger from equally unhappy Arsenal supporters was Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who insisted that Wenger’s time with the squad is unprecedented.

‘The work [Wenger] has done in the 15 years he has been at the club is the best in Arsenal’s history,’ Ferguson stated.
‘It is a bit unfair of course,’ he continued, commenting on calls for Wenger’s exit. ‘But who understands fairness and unfairness today?’

‘It is quite a cynical world,’ Ferguson added. ‘Supporters are far less easy to please than they were 20 years ago. But Arsenal answered everybody back on Wednesday [with the win over Udinese, qualifying them for the Champions League]. A lot of people thought they would go out; I didn’t. I thought they would win it.’

Another defender coming out of the woodwork was Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola, who had recently acquired Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas.

‘We have to remember that what [Wenger] has done for football in general, Arsenal is a great team,’ he stated.

‘They have always progressed far and been competitive over the past decade, always with a very characteristic style of football,’ he told reporters.

‘Arsenal has always been a team that has played very nice football. In sport there are many good things that have nothing to do with winning or losing.’

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