Wenger FA cup Final tactics 2004-2005

[Tipster]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/sport/football/articles/18807203?source=Evening#

Wenger discovers the Euro plan
By Michael Hart, Evening Standard
23 May 2005
Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
(Aet, Arsenal win 5-4 on pens)

Penalty shoot-outs tend to devalue the joy of triumph, ease the
disappointment of defeat and quite often provide salvation to the
victors when none is deserved.

That was the case in the Millennium Stadium when the FA Cup Final was,
sadly, decided by penalties for the first time in the competition's
133-year history.

Even Arsene Wenger acknowledged Arsenal's good fortune in snatching the
trophy from Manchester United - but you could argue that he made his
own luck to some degree.

It was a bold and unusual move by him to sacrifice his attacking
principles and, in the absence of Thierry Henry, field a team designed
to stop United winning.

Even Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that he was surprised.

Wenger rarely picks a team purely to legislate for the quality of the
opposition, but the success of his game plan on Saturday may make him
consider the benefits of such a policy in the Champions League next
season.

"I'm not sure," he said. "It's not our game, is it? But this was our
last chance of a trophy and with Henry out I didn't want to concede a
goal."

With three players sitting in the centre of midfield, two wide men and
36-year-old Dennis Bergkamp the lone striker, it's difficult to claim
that Wenger's cautious tactics won the Cup.

United were clearly the superior team and, on another day, Ruud van
Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney might both have capitalised on the chances
their team created. But they didn't and, after 120 minutes, the teams
were still deadlocked at 0-0.

At least Arsenal's French coach made no attempt to disguise the fact
that he'd compromised his attacking principles.

"I wouldn't be happy playing like that every week," he said.

"It worked on the day but I wouldn't like to play that way regularly.
It was a tense game and had we lost it would have been a huge blow.

"You work hard to reach a final and you can't keep people happy when
you don't win things."

The man responsible for victory was Jens Lehmann, which tells you much
about the ebb and flow of the match. Rooney was rightly named the man
of the match, but the hero of the afternoon was the Germany goalkeeper.


He capped an outstanding contribution with the penalty save from Paul
Scholes that, in the end, was what determined the outcome of an
absorbing game, thankfully free of the acrimony and dissent that has
disfigured so many clashes in recent years.

Scholes was desolate at the end, but his manager Ferguson was quick to
defend him, saying: "There's no blame on him whatsoever. How many games
has he won for us?"

That one moment apart, United played with a confidence and purpose that
even the club's new American owners must have recognised. It wasn't
until extra time that their goalkeeper Roy Carroll had a serious save
to make.

This, of course, raises questions for Wenger as he contemplates another
Champions League challenge next season.

The poverty of Arsenal's attack in the absence of Henry must surely
prompt him to seek reinforcements in the summer.

He admitted that at one point on Saturday "he couldn't see where a goal
would come from because we didn't have the resources to put them under
pressure".

Will Arsenal buy? "I think we have 90 per cent of what is needed next
season," said Wenger. "But we want to keep improving and if we find the
players we need we will buy them. We have the money."

The Arsenal coach has also assured Sol Campbell that he will be back in
the starting line-up next season. Left on the bench on Saturday, the
England defender might be wondering what the future now holds for him.

Wenger explained that he had left him out because he had played only
twice following a three-month injury lay off.

"I love Sol Campbell but I felt he was not completely ready," he said.
"Having been out for so long I thought he might be a bit short,
especially if the match went to extra time.

"Philippe Senderos and Kolo Toure have worked well together in Sol's
absence and their record is tremendous. But Sol will be back for the
start of next season."

What was perhaps most encouraging for Arsenal was the mental strength
they demonstrated throughout a match in which they were patently second
best.

Even Patrick Vieira, chased and harried by Darren Fletcher, was some
way below his most effective, but he defiantly refused to be eclipsed
by his young opponent.

In the end he had the opportunity to show the value of experience,
coolly driving home the penalty that denied United a deserved victory.

Rather as in 1979, the drama was reserved for the final moments.

Arsenal fans will remember this final for Lehmann's save from Scholes
and Vieira's clinching penalty.

Little else will find its way into FA Cup folklore, apart from the
dismissal of Jose Antonio Reyes in the very final moments for a second
bookable offence. He became only the second player to be dismissed in
the FA Cup Final - a shame, because this clash of the titans featured
courtesy and good manners rather than the usual hostility.

So, Wenger has won the FA Cup for a fourth time, but on Saturday's
evidence you have to suspect that, in the chase to catch Chelsea next
season, Rooney and Ronaldo may well give United the edge.