It was the better result for football in the end, the better footballing side convincingly dispatched their opponents, a justice of sorts on the football field. It was even strange to see Barca play with some integrity, there wasn't anything like the same level of gamesmanship that we have seen in recent games.
It seemed to me that Ferguson blundered with his team selection. Although United started well for the first ten minutes or so, the absence of Nani baffled, Carrick and Giggs were rather anonymous in the middle of the park. If it wasn't for some excellent last ditch defending and goalkeeping then it could have been far more than the three goals conceded, the goal Manu scored was also a clear yard offside. Valencia should also have been sent off, guilty of four particularly crude or cynical tackles, in the end he escaped with just the one yellow.
Still however United had approached the game they probably would have lost, they simply aren't that great a side, they are deeply average in many areas of their side, particularly in the centre of their midfield. Barca played some great stuff, Messi was electric, Xavi and Iniesta instrumental, but for me it was their phenomenal work rate and fitness that stood out. Their work ethic and pressing game takes some commitment. They also produce in game in game out, it is pretty damn rare that this Barca side fails to turn up.
Some of the current Arsenal squad need to take a long hard look at themselves in the mirror, they should look at the work rate and effort that Barca players put in week in week out and realise that no matter of one's name, reputation or ego, it is simply not good enough to only turn up to games sporadically and expect to win the easier fixtures without trying hard. Song has openly spoken of this issue and well done to him for having the courage to do this. Everyone in our squad needs to work harder, even certain big names who some seem to think are immune from all criticism.
Finally onto a lot of rather lazy and unconstructive stuff that has been put out there in the last few days. It is not often that I single out a site for criticism but in this case I make an exception, the OnlineGooner has covered itself in turd of late. It started with this 'Dear AKB' post, it summed up so much that is wrong in the way that some idiots reason and rationalise the 'debate'. The AKB tag is a useless and stupid term that serves no productive purpose, it is used lazily by morons to polarise the debate so that they don't have to listen to the opinion of others and therefore have a proper debate. The 'with us or against us' argument is nonsensical and dumb, seeing Arsene Wenger has a God or an idiot is just plain foolish, the truth is somewhere in the middle, so labelling people as one extreme or the other is unconstructive, stupid and patronising in the extreme.
The OnlineGooner has followed up its weak AKB piece with another limp effort, this time it's apparently a tongue in cheek effort to mock those silly AKBs (note sarcasm here). The fact that a lot of people didn't realise it was meant to be 'funny' says it all really, it isn't funny, it's just a sad attempt to polarise the debate and insult anyone who dares disagree with your opinion, rather than bothering to listen and engage in a reasonable debate. The author 'Raskolnikov Enahoro' seems to think he knows it all, he wants Arsene sacked, he has openly stated how useless he thinks Arsene is and he has made it clear that he is unwilling to listen to anyone who would dare disagree with his mighty opinion.
Anyways I'm rambling, the point I'm trying to make in a rather laboured fashion is that the 'AKB' tag is completely useless and invariably used by rather aggressive reactionaries who have nothing constructive or productive to say. It is amusing that these reactionaries are so often incapable of suggesting any realistic managerial replacements for Arsene, they are all too happy to list players we should sign, however when they sign for someone else and turn out to be utter turnips then this is completely forgotten. Arsene deserves criticism, I'm not saying otherwise, but it should be reasonable, proportional and fair, and certainly a lot of dross written slagging him off in a rather disrespectful and vitriolic manner deserves nothing more than a wastepaper bin. Generally if you have to use the 'AKB' tag to make a point then your argument is probably about as solid as Ryan Giggs' superinjunction.
