By Myles Palmer
Glenn Hoddle is a very good tactician and Rebrov is a better player than Kanu or Wiltord, but Arsenal will win.
I have no doubt about that.
So I have hardly thought about Old Trafford this week.
Been trying to digest the European games
Arsenal have destroyed Man United in Europe!
How? By not pushing them in the Premiership. Ferguson has mellowed, the team is stale and sated, and foreign clubs have rumbled them. There will be no miracle in Munich. They are 1-0 down and they are OUT !
Leeds are through, taking a 3-0 lead to La Coruna.
Liverpool will beat Barcelona at Anfield.I switched that yawn off after half an hour because I knew it would be 0-0 and put on the video of Arsenal 2 Valencia 1.
Wenger asked for intensity, pace and power in the first half. Didnt get it.Midfielders didnt get into the box as he had told them to. Went 1-0 down. Went 4-3-3, raised the tempo, scored two goals. A massive, magnificent result.Give Valencia a goal start and come back and win! YES!
But Wednesday night was something more than that. It made the players realise what they have to do from now on. Quarters and semis are not about style and tactics.They are about hunger and desire and in-your face-competitive attitide.That is why Leeds are in the last four : they are so collectively competitive that team scannot function against them.
Liverpool are so collectively negative that teams cant play against them either.
To sum up : Leeds and Liverpool are through and Man United are out.
Arsenal are on a knife-edge in Valencia but I fancy them to draw over there.
Carew is a big donkey and Mendieta is just a good one-paced technician.Canizares is not in the Kahn-Barthez class as a keeper.
Tomorrow? Neil Sullivan will be busy. Neil Sullivan will be a busy man and maybe a hero. If he saves everything and Spurs win I will want to know why Wenger did not sign him on a free.
But they won’t win because Arsenal have too much pace, too much experience.Lauren will have a blinder!
Les Ferdinand is so burly these days, he is as wide as he is tall. Iversen is a spent force.My pal Darren Anderton is still a great player but he is injured.
I can’t wait. I can’t wait. A 1.30 kick-off?
I can’t wait that long!
7th April 2001.