Chapter 51: The Sky Over Manchester
Arsenal's preparations were heavy and oppressive,
because Manchester United now had Ferguson.
There's no denying it—
the United that has Ferguson is the Red Devils; without him, United is nothing!
There's no denying it—
Manchester United is Arsenal's nemesis!
In the last six matches — five in the Premier League and one FA Cup tie — Arsenal's record against United was 1 win and 5 losses, an absolute disadvantage.
You could say that in the post-Vieira era, United dominated Arsenal across the board, whether in club attractiveness or team results.
Open the history of Arsenal's development and you'll see it's a record of bitter struggle and blood with Manchester United.
For the past decade, United folk have done three things: eat, sleep, and beat Arsenal.
Manchester United → arch-rival → natural enemy!
So:
Loyalty is betrayal,
and,
Van's ambition is treachery!
Yet, do not bully the poverty of the "young"!
Now,
Arsenal is no longer merely a top-four side,
Now,
the top scorer in the Premier League is an Arsenal forward,
and all this made the Sunday night match much more gripping and meaningful!
As Arsenal fans rubbed their hands and prepared to listen to the collective sobbing of their mortal enemy in the enemy's own "heart,"
a thunderbolt from a clear sky struck!
Old Trafford, with its 76,000 seats, sold only 10,000 tickets to the away supporters.
Relations between the two clubs slid dramatically toward the freezing point; United had, for the first time, surpassed Tottenham as the club Arsenal fans hated the most.
Arsenal immediately lodged a protest with the FA, demanding the rules be followed — to be allocated one-third of the tickets.
But United, Juventus, Bayern, Real Madrid and Barcelona — these five giants receive aristocratic treatment both at home and abroad.
Arsenal's protest fell like a stone in the sea; one moment before Arsenal fans were due to depart, the FA replied that the relevant departments were actively negotiating.
Ticketing: Manchester United — win!
Because tickets were scarce in the away section,
Jack's family, who wanted to travel with the team, asked Xia Qi for help.
That night when Xia Qi came home, he knocked on Jack's study door and saw Jack and his daughter at the computer desk — one speaking a mile a minute, the other furiously pounding the keyboard.
"Buying tickets? I got you sorted."
"No, we're trading insults with those country bumpkins?"
Xia Qi leaned over and saw the father and daughter exchanging abuse with Manchester United fans!
"What's going on? So heated?"
"They ran onto the forum and said you'd be one of them sooner or later — that we should make you captain early. Isn't that infuriating?"
Selling their captain was always Arsenal's wound; United fans' precise sniping drove the father and daughter mad!
"You've hurled all sorts of dirty words, but they're not very damaging!"
"You see, Van Persie has ambition but not championship fate; those with ambition lose the world. United are doomed to finish this season empty-handed — it's fate, God's arrangement."
A perfect strike!
The other side fell silent for a moment, then responded with a barrage of filthy language!
Forum battle: Arsenal — win!
Tonight, Manchester, Carrington training ground
Ferguson repeatedly flipped through highlights of Arsenal vs Liverpool, vs Manchester City, vs Chelsea.
"Boss, aren't you going to bed? You've watched those a dozen times, haven't you?"
"Arsène — what a lucky fellow…"
Ferguson licked his lips, a little envious, a little helpless, but mostly excited.
The media called him combative — a neutral assessment.
It is precisely because he is combative that United became the world-famous Red Devils.
It is precisely because he's combative that Ferguson has no friends in the Premier League, only opponents.
"The neighbours were stupid too, they produced a youth player and then let him go."
United assistant Gary Watt voiced a small complaint; the neighbours' stupidity had given United an extra rival out of nowhere.
"Gary, Mancini wasn't stupid — he just didn't have Arsène's tactical depth, so he couldn't shape that boy. If that boy had stayed next door he would have become ordinary. Look at Balotelli to see what happens to those kids."
"Only under Arsène would he shine, in the Premier League." Ferguson paused, then changed his tone: "In Europe, in terms of tactical reserves, Arsène is undoubtedly number one."
"Look, this is a box-to-box striker, this is a forward free role, this is an attacking playmaker — in the years we had Arsène pinned down, his tactics have undergone a qualitative change; these wild imaginations, ten of me couldn't have thought them up."
"A forward free role modeled on Messi isn't that strange; an attacking playmaker I might've come up with if forced — box-to-box… didn't Di Matteo…?"
"Different. The Spanish golden boy was a makeshift left-back, but this Xia Qi is integrated into the tactic — a true free man. A Beckenbauer… upfront Beckenbauer. I'm jealous, Gary."
"Boss, don't think about that. I think their matches against Olympiakos and Norwich were actually rehearsals for us.
Xia Qi turned into a beastly Inzaghi in the games, extremely efficient, and just the thing to counter our tactics."
"Gary, you're right! But one thing I'm convinced of: football is not only about tactics — it's also about fighting spirit and courage, and I firmly believe a cowardly coach cannot teach brave players."
"Boss, you're convinced of two things: since we sold Vieira, Arsenal really have ceased to be men…"
Tonight, London, Colney training ground
"United are pressing the formation very hard — that suits Xia Qi. But if we let them press forward freely, I fear our defense will collapse before Xia Qi can strike.
We are beautiful in the front but paper-thin in the back. Pat, is Szczęsny definitely out for the weekend?"
"Yes. Who do you plan to start at center back? I suggest Vermaelen."
"Vermaelen is old, I'm afraid he won't keep up with United's pace."
"But he's experienced and can handle complicated situations. You know Ferguson's temperament — to win he might try to provoke players. Having an older player on the pitch helps control the lads' tempers."
"I bet he's yelling at us right now — all that tactical plotting is useless; football needs guts, and where narrow paths meet, the brave win!
Pat, look at that Ashley Young, he's interesting — I think Xia Qi will like him."
Tactics: Manchester United — win.
...
On Saturday (the day before the match), as Arsenal checked into their hotel, Manchester's sky began to turn red.
But Manchester United fans lacked their usual festive cheer.
In the past, they were practically giving away points; a Manchester derby was a festival, and the mood had to be joyful.
But now, though Ferguson's mouth remained defiant, numbers don't lie — Xia Qi was better than Van Persie.
Xia Qi had appeared five times in the Premier League: four wins and one loss.
The defeat to Norwich was down to three erroneous refereeing decisions.
And Xia Qi also maintained a record of scoring in every match — the only player among the five big leagues who could compete with the likes of Messi and Ronaldo for the European golden boot.
Although bookmakers and BBC pundits predicted a United win,
the fans weren't stupid.
Where once 5,000 away tickets couldn't be sold, 10,000 were now not enough — that said a lot.
And Old Ferguson thought the same, which was why he had meddled in the ticketing.
Away tickets don't get discounts: selling a few extra here and there adds up. Selling 10,000 fewer tickets means missing out on an extra £500,000. It's not a huge sum, but it's pure profit!
To preserve home advantage and to win — you can tell that was Ferguson's handiwork.
All of this made United fans unhappy; if they were unhappy, Arsenal wouldn't be happy either.
On the night Arsenal were staying in Manchester, the noise outside their rooms never stopped…
Wenger angrily damned Ferguson as a weasel who would never make it to the table.
(END CHAPTER)
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