Barclays Premier League
City of Manchester Stadium
Saturday, February 02, 2008, 12.45pm
Manchester City
Arsenal
By Richard Clarke
And then there were three.
The past week has seen the challengers for the Premier League title whittled down from a quartet, even a septet, to a trio — Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.
Liverpool’s defeat at West Ham on Wednesday left them 14 points adrift of top spot - and that’s IF they were to win their game in hand. Meanwhile Everton, Aston Villa and, Saturday’s opponents, Manchester City all missed out on a victory in midweek giving them the same chasm to leap.
Some may have seen that separation as almost inevitable. But, by their nature, football managers just deal with finalised facts. Only now, as we enter February, was Arsène Wenger prepared to admit the quickest horses in the title race had drawn clear of the pack.
“It is unlikely that the top three teams will drop that many points [for the others to catch up] when you consider the number of games those teams have lost until now,” said the Frenchman at Friday’s pre-match press conference. “You need them to lose five or six each for anyone else to come in. It looks unlikely. It can happen to one team but not to three.”
To continue the horse-race analogy, Arsenal and Manchester United have each had their noses in front over the past few furlongs but both will be wary of Chelsea on the rails. Many expect Wenger’s side to falter when the teams turn for home but Wenger would argue, while the horse is young, the rider has been there before. And he is happy to be in the title-chasing saddle after a couple of years in which he has had to watch the leaders ride off into the distance.
“I enjoy the battle,” admitted Wenger. “Every point now is becoming important and every weekend is a big test.
“At this period last year we were finished and had no chance. I felt like Liverpool this year we did not get enough from what we produced. When you have a season like that it is very disappointing.
“But now we are going into a period where it is close and everybody is consistent in the top three. For us it is very challenging as well. Tomorrow we can be the first team to beat Manchester City at home so we are really up for it.”
Certainly Sven Goran Eriksson’s side have been superb at Eastlands this season. A record of 30 points out of 36 in the Premier League suggests this will be a massive test for Arsenal even though Manchester City have picked up just two draws in their last three games and were dumped out of the FA Cup by Sheffield United.
Wenger claims to have just 14 outfield players for the trip. The injury list on Thursday read: Tomas Rosicky (hamstring), Johan Djourou (groin), Denilson (hamstring) and Robin van Persie (thigh) plus Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Eboue and Alex Song are at the African Nations Cup. Then Manuel Almunia (thumb) and Gilberto (back) had to drop out on Friday.
Nine absentees is a lot for any side to bear but, unlike in previous years, they are not concentrated in one position.
Anyway, it is said that a good team can get to the top spot but only a good squad can keep you there. Tomorrow Wenger will be testing that theory.
Having seen other teams give up their title aspirations this week, Arsenal need to show the steely resolve that has given them a real chance of lifting the trophy in May.
OH NO....ABANG LEHMANN IS PLAYING TONIGHT - DIE LAH LIKE DAT!!!!!