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| Arsene Wenger |
Its not a Premier League Weekend but there is FA Cup action. The competition has reached Quarter Final stage. The pick of the round is undoubtedly Manchester United vs Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Both the clubs share a century old rivalry which got intensified on the introduction of Wenger in the English Football. The rivalry was at its best during the first decade of the Frenchman at the helm. Since then it has cooled down as the priorities changed with Arsenal losing its firepower to challenge for the biggest prizes of football as the team went through a transitional phase and moved to Emirates stadium from the Highbury.
Fast forward to 2015 things are getting intense as both the teams are fighting for the same prizes again. With a struggling start to the season, both the teams are no longer in contention for the League Title and are fighting for the top 4 finish. Arsenal have UCL to play for, but it is all but lost after their devastating defeat against Monaco. Now FA Cup is the only chance for both the clubs to get some Silverware and save the otherwise average season.
When the teams take the field on Monday evening, there will be another thing to look out for the neutrals. And that will be the rivalry of 'LVG The Philosopher' vs 'Arsene Wenger The Professor'. Both of them are the great survivors in the profession who have similar ideology of passing and attacking football. They don't share a long history to be told but should have one in next couple of years.They have gone head to head just three times in their career with The Dutchman enjoying a 2-1-0 (W-D-L) record. The last installment resulted in a lucky 2-1 win at the Emirates for the Devils despite the Gunners dominating the game with a one way traffic.
One last intriguing aspect to look forward in this game is performance of Özil and Di Maria. Both the players have faced criticism this season. Özil's has been unfair as he's been performing at his best in the Arsenal Colors and was voted as the player of the month for February by the gooners. German international scored Twice and claimed three assists in the past month. (This is the measurable stat of his game which doesn't reflect the intelligence that he possess in his overall game. Read this piece).
On the other hand, we have his former team-mate from Real Madrid Angel Di Maria. The Argentine is adjusting to life in England which faded after a bright start while also being experimented by van Gaal in new position. His struggle doesn't rob him of the World class quality that he possesses so its just a matter of time before he gets back to his best.
Both of them can win match for their team if they perform at their best. So let's hope Özil gets better of his friend and take Arsenal to the Wembley.
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