march 9th
The 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay at Villa Park is a game Arsenal fans remember as clearly as any great victory we’ve ever had. Another almighty battle with the great enemy, and after the fantastic double-winning previous season we had every reason to feel excited. Neck and neck with United in the league, playing some great football and scoring great goals, you felt like we were really catching up with them.
Then Dennis missed that penalty and Giggs scored that goal and United went on to that unprecedented treble. And that defeat did something to the team. Overmars and Petit were never the same again. I know he’s struggled a bit with niggly injuries, but that penalty miss did something to Dennis Bergkamp too. It took him a long time to recover. While we were on the brink of building a team that could really, really challenge, we fell back for a couple of seasons to rebuild.
And what it also did was allow United to quite rightly call themselves the best team in the country. They won successive championships like we haven’t done yet under Arsene Wenger, but Arsenal consolidated, added well in important positions and came back to win the double the season before last. Last season you have to feel like Arsenal gave the title to United, but at the same time taking your hat off to their incredible run of wins at the end of the season. There’s a lot of history, winning the league at Old Trafford put many of the ghosts to rest, but this inevitable FA Cup draw could be a moment of perfect symmetry for this Arsenal team.
To my mind United aren’t the same as they were. Still a very good side, capable of beating any team in Europe when they click, but they’re far more flawed than they’ve been for a long time and the days when they really click are fewer and fewer. Arsenal are edging in front now though. This team has taken the pain of finishing runner-up last season (and some of them know the pain of it from the 99 season, and the one after, and the one after) and are using it as their motivation. They’re playing great football, but nobody is getting carried away, even if those bastards at Paddy Power bookmakers are trying to jinx us.Winning this semi-final could be significant though. It could be Arsenal’s way of announcing themselves as the best in the country, the Arsenal that can win back to back titles, that can seriously challenge in Europe. The team that nobody ever wants to play. The way United were for so long.
A Robert Pires wonder goal in the 2nd half of injury time would do the trick, although I don’t think my heart could stand that kind of excitement. A Reyes hat-trick and a couple from Henry and I’d be happy enough.
BBC’s team of the week is made up of players from different teams, normally. Now that everyone loves Arsenal though things are changing. For the first time ever their team of the week is just one team. It’s possibly the greatest honour this club has ever achieved. The crowning glory which proves beyond all doubt that Arsenal are the best team in the cosmiverse.
After telling you the story of Joe Kinnear wanting Jeremie Aliadiere on loan at Luton, it now seems he wants him on loan at Nottingham Forest. It was reported he was after David Bentley too, so it’ll be interesting to see if the boss is willing to let either go at this stage of the season.
Not much else going on this morning.
