Valiant Wigan Deserved Better

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Well as I predicted, it was a tense night.

Arsenal scored after 11 minutes through a Podolski header. Wigan’s defending was shocking but we were glad for the gift.

But after that, we did the same thing we did against QPR and put our foot off the pedal – and this time paid the price. Once we scored Wigan were the better team and the scored a well deserved equaliser. You can dispute the freekick however you want, it was a foul and we still had to defend the freekick, which we didn’t.

So at half time it was 1-1 and a draw was no good for any side.

A combination of poor defending from Wigan and a higher tempo from Arsenal saw us score 3 goals in quick succession but the 4-1 result is an unfair reflection on the match. We weren’t 3 goals better than Wigan and they deserve a lot of credit for their performance – at times we look vulnerable at the back.

And it’s important to note that the injury to McManaman changed the game.

The result is certainly the confidence boost we need, but we need to play much better if we’re going to get all 3 points against Newcastle. They will be more relaxed against us but will still want to put in a performance in their last home game of the season. And with the pressure off, they have nothing to lose.

Our job is simple. We need to win and nothing else matters. Sunday is our cup final. We always see drama and excitement on the last day of the season, so lets hope the drama isn’t us missing out on the Top 4 on the last day.

For Wigan, they couldn’t follow up their heroic FA Cup win with another miracle tonight, although they did come close. They looked dangerous at times tonight and after getting the equaliser, it was anyone’s game. They are a good team that play attractive football, and it’s a shame they’ve gone down – especially when there are plenty of other teams that play boring football and offer the Premier League very little. Hopefully, they will bounce back soon and I wish them all the best.

Mancini, Benitez, Mourinho & The Managerial Merry-Go-Round

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A few weeks ago, you wouldn’t have thought that the two managers of the Top 2 clubs in England would no longer be in their jobs before the season was over, but that’s exactly what’s happened.

Alex Ferguson retired and had his official send off on Sunday in front of thousands of his adoring fans at Old Trafford, while Roberto Mancini had a far less glamourous send off, being officially sacked yesterday.

The official statement from Manchester City was that he failed to meet any of the seasons targets, except for Champions League qualification, and in today’s football – however harsh the sacking was – it’s par for the course.

Looking around Facebook and Twitter, the outrage from City fans was, quite frankly, ridiculous. All the “Thank you for everything Roberto” posts were nauseating and some football supporters really need to get a grip of themselves. For me, Roberto Mancini is possibly one of the most overrated managers of all time.

Let’s look at his track record shall we? At Inter Milan, he won 3 Serie A titles but all 3 of those were helped hugely by the effects of the Calciopoli scandal, where Juventus were relegated, and AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina were docked points.

During his time at Manchester City, he won the Premier League – only after almost losing to QPR on the last day of the season and scoring a last minute winner. And I don’t need to tell you about his record in Europe at both Inter and City, which was shockingly poor, considering the talent at his disposal.

I’m sure he’ll be just fine this afternoon, having a nice cup of tea thinking about the reported £28 million pay off he has to worry about.

Along with the new vacancy at The Etihad Stadium, a job has opened up at Everton. With Mourinho a dead cert to become Chelsea manager next season, people are looking to who could become the new boss at Goodison Park.

I know his name has been banded around for the Everton and possibly Wigan jobs but for me, Rafa Benitez would be excellent at Manchester City. He has extensive knowledge of the Premier League, has a good track record of managing egos and is astute in Europe. If Rafa was appointed at Manchester City, I would put them as favourites for the league ahead of Manchester United. If Rafa and Mourinho join City and Chelsea respectively, then it would be a really 3 horse race for the title next year. Arsenal and Tottenham would again be fighting for 4th position unless big changes were made.

But at least it would be a more interesting season. Manchester United pretty much cruised to the Premier League title this season and we need another competitive year. Arsenal are always capable of stringing a decent run together but it’s only usually in the final months of the season. If we have this massive war chest that people are reporting then we could compete, but does Arsene have the ability to pick the best talents? He’s been working on a shoe-string for so long it’s hard to know if he would spend the money on players that are truly world class.

Preview: Judgement Day for Arsenal & Wigan

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The task for both teams tonight is simple – 2 games of the season left, and nothing less that 2 wins is enough.

And both teams have their destiny in their own hands.

Wigan Athletic are 5 points clear of safety but a win tonight would bring them to within 2 points of Aston Villa. With the last game of the season at The DW Stadium against the aforementioned team, another victory would save Wigan and relegate the team from Birmingham.

And it’s a similar situation for us tonight. Tottenham sit 2 points clear of us and a win against Wigan would see us leapfrog our North London rivals by a solitary point. Going into the last day of the season, another win away at Newcastle would secure a Top Four finish and that hugely coveted Champions League spot next season.

So both teams are desperate for victory, probably meaning you’re best putting your money on a draw!

It will be a battle of wits between the two managers on the touchline, and a battle of desire and fight from the players on the pitch.

The game is too close to call – those thinking it will be a whitewash to the home side are sadly deluded. Wigan are on a massive high after winning the FA Cup against all the odds on Saturday so don’t think they will be afraid of facing us. I don’t need to remind you Wigan won the same fixture last season.

If Arsenal give it absolutely everything, and start like they did against Manchester United then we can’t ask for any more than that. But while we should underestimate Wigan and their ability to beat the top sides in the Premier League, they do have their weaknesses.

Defensively they can be suspect. Against Tottenham the other week, both of the goals they conceded could have been avoided and they played well enough to deserve all 3 points. The same could be said about their away game against West Ham as well, for the majority of the game they dominated play and possession, only to concede goals against the run of play. If we score early and keep up the tempo, we can overwhelm them and take all 3 points.

But give them half a chance and they’ll take it. McManaman is a big threat from wide positions, as is Kone with his pace. They have players like Maloney who can hurt us from set-pieces and that is something we need to be weary of with our relatively “small” team.

We’ve also had 10 days to prepare for this game so we really don’t have any excuses, while Wigan only played 3 days ago in the biggest game of their history.

Who knows which way this is going to go, but one thing is certain and that’s it won’t be an easy night.

It’s Time To Burst Tottenham’s Bubble

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I caught the last 20 minutes of the Stoke v Tottenham game yesterday (more out of boredom than anything) and like a kick in the balls, Arsenal’s favourite “striker” scored the winner with a few minutes remaining. He scored against Chelsea as well midweek and is certainly “in form” at the moment. Although he’s been pretty crap for the rest of the season.

The way Tottenham celebrated the goal was that of a team that knew anything less than 3 points was not enough. They celebrated the winning goal like they truly believed that they were going to finish in Top Four.

So it’s time for Arsenal to burst their bubble.

There’s no doubt that we are in the better position as we have it all in our own hands, but if we slip up with our game in hand it’s curtains for us. We host FA Cup winners tomorrow evening and it doesn’t matter how we win, we just need to get all 3 points. People say they will be hungover from celebrating their historic FA Cup victory but I think they will be on a high and give us one hell of a game. Nothing less than 110% from us will be enough as Wigan are fighting for their lives and will be hugely encouraged by beating Manchester City on Saturday. Make no mistake, they thrive in the underdog role.

And from Tottenham’s celebrations after scoring the winner and at the final whistle, it is clear that they honestly believe that we will lose points and they’ll nick 4th spot.

Some Arsenal fans think we’ll give Wigan a hammering at The Emirates but they way results have gone, Wigan need the 3 points as badly as we do. A draw for Arsenal means we’re a point behind Tottenham with 1 game remaining and a draw for Wigan means they are effectively relegated, given Sunderlands vastly superior goal difference.

So tomorrow will be full of tension. The game will be a real battle of mental strength as the longer the game goes being 0-0, the harder both teams will find it. Wigan know that if it’s all square after 60 minutes Arsenal will have no choice but to throw everything forward and go for it – meaning we’ll be leaving gaps at the back. The only way we will breath easy tomorrow is if we score an early goal and build on that. But recently, we haven’t exactly been firing on all cylinders.

So Arsene’s decision to play in the attacking third is as vital as it’s ever been. There’s no time for Gervinho to miss 4 or 5 sitters from close range, for Theo to endlessly run into opposition defenders and for Arsenal to waste chance after chance.

The terms mental strength and focus are banded around a lot but this time we need these in abundance.

Who Will Succeed Alex Ferguson At United?

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When the news first broke about Alex Ferguson’s retirement, my thoughts immediately went to Mourinho. Who else would be bold enough to take that job after decades of consistent success with one man? Who else wouldn’t be fazed by the massive expectations that came with a club like Manchester United?

But after dismissing David Moyes due to his lack of experience in Europe, I’m not so sure now.

Manchester United will be after a a long term replacement and Moyes represents that. Also, it seems like Ferguson has been grooming Moyes for a while now, and possibly told him to just stick it out with Everton for a few more years and when he comes to retire he’ll get the job. Moyes’ contract runs out in the summer as well so it’s a perfect way to stick with Scottish management.

My biggest question mark was over top level experience, but I suppose if you’re after a long term replacement then Manchester United will have the patience to give him a few years to settle in.

After just checking the bookies David Moyes is the clear favourite at 1/10! Mourinho is in second place at 5/1, Jurgen Klopp 20/1 and then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at 25/1.

Would Manchester United fans like David Moyes at Old Trafford? I can’t decide whether he is a fantastic manager or overrated.

Who do you think will be the next Manchester United manager?