It was once the most iconic fixture in the Premier League, a match that could rival El Clasico in rank and superiority. Other domestic clubs would look on in wonder to watch Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira commence battle in what was always a title-deciding encounter. It was the match that defined the new Premier League era, so why does it already feel like a matchup for the nostalgic among us?
Maybe it’s because the players who made this fixture great in the first place have now retired. However the rivalry was sustained for over 15 years, only one club men Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs went the distance with this rivalry. With the exception of the two aforementioned, the likes of Eric Cantona, Emmanuel Petit and David Beckham came and went, allowing new players to come in to sustain the rivalry’s competitive edge. Therefore the interchanging of players should not be an excuse.
The retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson still feels slightly out of place in this fixture, as Arsene Wenger looks more comfortable on the turf of Old Trafford than the United manager of present Louis van Gaal.
However the rivalry did not solely rely on the presence of Fergie, and many will feel the regression had begun long before the Scotsman retired. The non-participation of Arsenal in the title race since 2005, coinciding with the emergence of Chelsea and Roman Abramovich’s millions, is, perhaps, the issue. The Gunners have since found it harder to compete with the financial clout of their London rivals. You might assume, then, that Chelsea vs Man United would become the new headline clash of the Premier League. In many ways it was, although the swapping of managers and changing of players meant that an established narrative couldn’t be forged between the two sides. Ferguson would face Jose Mourinho one year and Felipe Scolari the next. The beauty of Man United vs Arsenal was that it was an opportunity for the two sides to settle old scores, and for Ferguson and Wenger to lock horns again.
Wenger’s French revolution completely epitomised the new Premier League, and Fergie’s class of ’92 downright hated it. What we had was a new kind of footballing rivalry, the kind that wasn’t determined by geography or politics, but by the immense quality of the two teams. Man United and Arsenal were in a league of their own, although they are now a shadow of their former selves. Wenger remains, although his Arsenal have struggled since Chelsea and Man City started flexing their financial muscles.
This once titanic fixture is on the verge of dying out, without any geographical tension there is no justification for getting excited about Man United vs Arsenal anymore. Neither team is in the title race, and neither team possess a single player who will be revered as a club legend when they retire, with the exception of Wayne Rooney.
Ferguson and Wenger had respect for each other, and the teams they produced, which gave birth to one of football’s great modern day rivalries. Mourinho’s witless remarks vs Man City’s recycling of English talent doesn’t even come close to something that constitutes the term ‘Super Sunday’. There is no sense of drama in these so-called top six fixtures, the players play for the wages they earn rather than the badge on their shirt, most of them have city hopped from club to club anyway.
Man United vs Arsenal is sadly nothing more than another top six encounter, lost in the chaos of Sky Sports’ ‘greatest league in the world’ conspiracy, for the likes of Piers Morgan to get his knickers in a twist over.
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