The Hindu : Gunners chase title and record

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 28, 2004

Sport

Sport - Football

Gunners chase title and record

LONDON, MARCH 27. Arsenal is chasing a record and the Premier League title. Manchester United is out to restore lost pride.

The two teams who have cleaned up the league title for almost a decade meet at Highbury on Sunday with 12 points separating unbeaten leader Arsenal and defending champion United. Although a United victory would cut that lead to nine and stop the Gunners setting a record 30 games without defeat, even Alex Ferguson knows that is still too much to make up.

``You always live in hope but, as far as the Premiership is concerned, we are running out of time and games,'' said the veteran United manager, whose team also faces Arsenal in the FA Cup semifinals a week later.

``The more important issue is that if we win this game, we can really look forward to the semifinal. I have had my eye on that match since the draw was made, and hopefully we can go into it with confidence.''

Since Blackburn Rovers won the Premier League in 1995, United has captured six titles and Arsenal is poised to win its third.

Because sparks usually fly when Arsenal and United meet on a soccer field, the fact they face each other twice in seven days adds more spice to the game at Highbury.

Arsenal has Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell and Robert Pires receiving treatment for injuries from Wednesday's Champions League 1-1 draw with Chelsea. Ashley Cole is definitely ruled out of Sunday's game.

With his team trying to reach the Champions Cup semifinals and hoping to match United's 1999 feat of triple success in domestic and European competition, coach Arsene Wenger won't want any more injury problems or suspensions.

After the post-match brawl at Old Trafford in September, four Arsenal players received bans, and Wenger says his players have learned their lesson. ``We came out and said that was not the way we wanted to behave, and since then we have changed our ways and concentrated on our football,'' the Arsenal manager said.

``We've improved a lot since we last played United but Sunday is also a big opportunity to show how we've also improved our behavior. Sometimes our rivalry has made certain contests go overboard but basically we both always try to play. We are much better at dealing with provocation than we used to be.

``When we played United last time, we were a bit edgy on the day because we had just lost 3-0 to Inter Milan.''

Wenger has a good head-to-head record against Ferguson, losing just six of 22 meetings. ``Between 1999 and 2001 they were the better team but, since then, we have reduced the difference and have been really competitive,'' Wenger said. ``Sunday is a good opportunity to extend our lead over them because I've been here long enough to know that with United, no lead is ever big enough.''

Three months ago, Arsenal trailed United by four points but the Reds have badly missed central defender Rio Ferdinand, who is serving an eight-month ban for failing to show up for a doping test.

``Back in December they probably had the best defense, then they lost Mikael Silvestre and Rio Ferdinand together,'' Wenger said. ``Without Ferdinand in particular, they've been less efficient defensively.''

Ferguson has opted to give American goalkeeper Tim Howard a break, and replaced him with Roy Carroll, who also played in Saturday's 3-0 beating of Tottenham.

``Tim has had an unbelievable season,'' the United manager said. ``At 24, he has fantastic promise but, after a tough campaign, he deserves a little break and I'm confident it will freshen him up.''

If Wenger's men avoid defeat on Sunday, they will own the league's unbeaten streak record they share with the Leeds team of 1973-74 and Liverpool of 1987-88. Both teams went 29 league games before suffering their first league loss.

Although he hopes to halt the run on Sunday, Ferguson praised the Gunners for doing so well. ``They have had a great season,'' he said. ``They are a very powerful, aggressive and athletic team and they also have a lot of speed.

``To go through the season undefeated in our competition is very difficult and they have done fantastically well to reach this point without losing.'' — AP

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