Arsenal v Manchester United: Song and Bendtner the keys

It’s currently 8am on Sunday morning in Brisbane, 18 hours away from the kick-off to Arsenal v Manchester United, and I’m excited.

For the first time in a number of seasons both teams are in with a good chance of winning the Premiership and that makes for a spectacular game. United sit four points behind Chelsea after their overnight win over Burnley while Arsenal are a further point back in third place. In short, with fifteen games still to play, there’s nothing in it.

With our boys having to play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next Sunday and Liverpool at The Emirates the following Wednesday, I really feel that winning tonight could be the catalyst to a red-hot run to the title. Psychology plays a huge part in football and the confidence and belief a win over Manchester United would bring to the going into the Chelsea game could be vital.

There’s nothing to say we can’t win tonight either.

We thoroughly outplayed United at Old Trafford with only a debatable penalty and Abou Diaby’s moment of madness to blame for our failure to come away with a win. We are also the league’s in-form team and have lost just one game at home all season.

There has been a lot of talk about the trouble Sol Campbell may have against Wayne Rooney if Thomas Vermaelen is ruled out, yet more important to our chances is the return of Alex Song to the midfield. Arsene Wenger revealed he is still tired after returning from Africa but if anything is going to wake you up it is a game against Manchester United and I fully expect him to not only start but put in the sort of controlled, physical performance that we have become accustomed to this season.

Nicklas Bendtner may have only played 30 minutes of football in the past three months but the manager would be crazy not to start him today. The Dane lacked a little sharpness off the bench against Aston Villa on Wednesday, but that didn’t discount the fact that his introduction changed the game. His extra height added a focal point to our attack and provided a long-ball option for the defence and perhaps more importantly, Manuel Almunia in goals.

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Bendtner should be joined in the team by the two Eastern Europeans, Andrey Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky, as well as midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Aaron Ramsey. There will be those who question the absence of Denilson from my line-up but in my eyes Ramsey’s supreme confidence and attacking threat makes him a more preferable option to the out-of-form Brazilian. Ramsey’s direct style and ability from long-range would throw a spanner in the works for Sir Alex Ferguson and his United defence.

These sorts of games usually come down to who puts in more effort so it’s imperative our boys show desire and determination from the first whistle. We have the team to do it, they just need to get out there and get the job done.

Win, lose or draw – it’s going to be an epic night at the Emirates.

Have your say on Arsenal vs Manchester United by leaving a comment.

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Comments

  1. Couldn’t agree more. Bendtner and Song will be of paramount importance. Wenger will start with Denilson though… which I think is the right decision.

  2. We have the team to do it all they ‘just’ need to get out there and get the job done! @andy, surely if it was that easy anyone could do it.
    I agree that Den should not start, but it will shock if Arsene concurs with you. The main questions are, will Song be in any shape to start or should he come on if things go wrong. I think the game will be wan and lost in the middle of the park, which is why i think Manure will come away with all the points. Sorry boys thats just my football brain talking but i really do hope im wrong. It would have made a massive difference if Rio had not returned, but they played their get out of jail card by appealing the ban even though they knew they were always going to lose. Good luck Gooners and up de ammers.

  3. Bendtner useless.
    What would it takes for this guy to be on the end of a through ball – he really needs to get in the arsenal groove
    Song awesome.
    hopefully this means Denilson doesn’t play

  4. what skill does bendtner have that any tall player doesnt
    you could stick sol campbell up front and hed hold it up aswell as bendtner does

    just chuk diaby up there

  5. with you comments above i can understand why Panda’s are stuggling!!!!
    Massive game tonight i totally disagree with Panda, regardless of what Bendtner does or doesnt do with the ball his presence creates room for Arshavin, Rosicky, Fabregas and is and aerial threat that we have lacked from set pieces. Panda back in your cage!!!

  6. I just think playing Ramsey over Denilson would be a huge mistake given the fact that Song plays well when there is someone to do the donkey work, come in with interceptions and harry opponents and plus Ramsey is clearly not ready 2 play in these sorts of matches. So i say ok to Bendtner choice but we remain with the problem of Almunia, his ball distribution is so poor that effectively gives the ball to the opposition meaning that we have to fight hard to win it back i think distribution or goal keeping Fabiansky is better only shorter.

  7. Agree but i think the team will be

    ———————–Almunia
    sagna———-sol————–william———clichy

    ——————-song

    ——cesc————————-rosicky

    arshavin———-bendy————nasri

    way to much for united.. thing about ramsey is his performances have not been good, was not good vs villa even when he scored vs hammers i dont think we improved until diaby and nasri came on , wenger likes ramsey in front 3 and people forget how good he is, he is fully fit and i think will definitely start,Ramsey has no control in games yet but it will come just not ready now, Theo is really poor and his pace never causes evra problems and no pace theo has nothing, think vela has been hard done by, he comes on after 80mins doesnt score and people say he is running out of chances, well vela is gonna be far more important than theo, vela is lethal and will prove it with proper game time, no transfers needed just sack sylvester

    2nd team

    ————————–fabianski

    eboue——-sol—————-bartley——–gibbs/traore

    ———————–denilson
    ———-ramsey——————–diaby

    vela——————eddie————theo#look at the uality left, sometimes i hate arsenal fans some of them really dont know what there talking about, who ha that dept, with the likes of afobe jet wilshire aneke nordevit djourou coquelin edge freeman frimpong comming through… wenger is a genius, over the last 4 years we seen who the real gooners are, come on u reeeeeeeeeeeeeeds

  8. and wellington some1 who apparantly has a 2 goal average per game for brazil youths, ready for first team next year

  9. Arsenal won’t win coz it will be a difficult match.Manchester United and Arsenal both are in winning mood recently bt Manchester United have overcome post cr7 era and revived their self confidence.It is going to be a tough match and really exciting.Cant wait for the kick off 10 hrs to go….

  10. Yon – I feel denilson is off-form at the moment n I wouldn’t play him. Massive game for us n too many mistakes in his last few games. Yeah he’s scored goals but they were both deflections. Put Ramsey on!! Midfield of Cesc, Song and Ramsey would be what I prefer. Psychologically, we need to win before we go to Stamford Bridge. We didn’t deserve to lose at Old Trafford, let’s SMASH them today!! Come on YOU Gunners!!!

  11. I’m so stressed before this battle, what i’m worrying about the most is possible lack of self-confidence of our guys, we shouldn’t be afraid of United because we could have beaten them at Old Trafford, there was only too little luck. If we show we are mature and play bravely we will wipe MU off! Go Go Gunners!

  12. My team for today’s game,
    ALMUNIA

    SAGNA GALLAS VERMI(SOL) CLICHY

    SONG

    FABREGAS ROSICKY

    NASRI ARSHAVIN
    BENDTNER
    This is only my opinion .We should play nasri.Last year he scored the two goals against UTD.
    We will thrash utd
    COME ON GUNNERS
    IN ARSENE WE TRUST

  13. The lineup should be: in goal Almunia. Back 4: Sagna Gallas Sol Clichy midfield 3: Cesc Song Denilson. Forward 3: Theo Bendtner Arshavin.

  14. hello all and happy sunday to you
    alri ice mate,didnt see any of your game yesterday as was away on a training day with the footballers and had a session after…am sore as a boil this mornin….dont worry about a nil nil mate youv got better days on the way,just consolodate this season and bulid for the next mate.
    im apprehensive about today because with song understandably still tired and verm out we lack real aggression along the ground and gallas and sagna cant be everywhere to plug the gaps in this respect….it will come down to who wants it more and whos the more aggressive….and were at home so if we cant impose ourselves, intimidate and put them on the back foot then we simply wont hav deserved the 3 pts we really need to keep the pressure on chelsea after terry managed to scored a winner away from home again yesterday…..boom boom
    a bone shattering tackle on fletcher in the first 5mins wud be the business
    good luck big nic your in my dream team now do yourself justice ould son

  15. WE LOST!!!!!

    WENGER OUT!!!!!!!! PLEASE LEAVE EMIRATES WENGER!!!!!!

    5 years without trophyes!!!! i’ve had it!!!! hell will freaze faster then arsenal to win a trophy

    bendtner is so clumsy… he can’t play…he is 4 a mid table club or even less

    wenger sayd he will buy a striker, he lied, and now we lost… if we had david villa, chamakh or dzeko it could have been different.

    next season we will be liverpool if things go on like this.

    i want wenger out. i’m thinking of becoming a united or bayern fan, they atleast win trophyes.

    i am (was) a big gunner fan… but arsenal dissapointed me too many times. i would like to watch my team hold a trophy, but arsenal is probably the wrong team.

    i wish arsenal the best… and the best is better players… and wenger, bendtner, almunia OUT

  16. I agree with Andrew Weber.

    Listen rocknrolljesus1, be constructive. Yes, we are all passionate about the boys but talk of abandoning the team is utterly ludicrous. ***k off and be a United fan!

  17. fuck u all bitches

    i’m a arsenal fan but i want wenger to leave… he is the one to blame…

    and if u want to watch an arsenal team that is losing and not winning trophyes…. fine…. but i dont… i don’t wan’t to abandon arsenal, i just want them to win trophyes like they did in the henry, bergkamp, vieira era

    wenger doesn’t see that his young squad idea doesn’t work out… arsenal should spend money that’s all… bring in david villa instead bendtner… bring in upson as a replacement for gallas who doesn’t want to sign a new contract… bring in j.cole for rosicky/nasri… bring in adler, neuer, akinfeev or howard for almunia!!!!!!!!!!!1

    i that so hard to understand wenger???

    am i right or wrong???

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