It was clear something was missing from the Manchester United–Arsenal rivalry when even Jose Mourinho played nice (by his standards) with Arsene Wenger, the man he had needled and tormented to no end in the years gone by.
Which hurts more? The lack of a “Specialist in Failure” jibe, or something similar, from Mourinho during his two-and-a-half years as United manager? Or that Sir Alex Ferguson, Wenger’s oldest foe, could actually call the Arsenal manager up to convince him to part with Robin van Persie in the summer of 2012?
Speaking of which, when that happened, who would have predicted that six years later, Arsenal and United would conduct a friendly swap deal that left both sides happy, especially one that involved Alexis Sanchez, one of the Gunners’ best players in the post-Van Persie years?
Arsenal vs Manchester United was once the marquee fixture of the Premier League. Ian Wright vs Peter Schmeichel Patrick Vieira vs Roy Keane. Martin Keown vs Ruud van Nistelrooy. Wenger vs Ferguson.
Imagine Ferguson calling Wenger up to enquire about Thierry Henry’s availability in 2001, the summer he brought Van Nistelrooy to Old Trafford instead. In fact, imagine Ferguson calling Wenger for anything. When he reportedly sanctioned a bold bid for Vieira, also in 2001, Wenger complained that the transfer attempt was conducted without Arsenal even being contacted about their club.
That was the flavour of the rivalry then. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, every match between these two was tense. Brawls were common. Tackles flew in hard. Pizza was thrown. And, of course, there were some truly great games.
More than anything, these two teams dominated. United won four of the first five Premier League titles. Arsenal ended their reign in 1997/98 and did the Double. United responded by doing the Treble. That started a run of three league titles in a row, ended by, who else, Arsenal in 2001/02. United snatched the trophy back the next year, then saw Arsenal pull off their famous Invincible season in 2003/04. Arsenal beat United in the 2005 FA Cup final.
Yet ever since Mourinho arrived at Chelsea, and Arsenal had to withdraw from title races as their stadium investment hampered their transfer activity, this rivalry started to lose its edge.
The most memorable game between these two sides since that cup final is remembered more for the whopping nature of the scoreline, 8-2, rather than for two sides going toe-to-toe with the biggest prizes on the line.
On Friday they meet with the two sides level on points in fifth and sixth in the league, though this particular encounter is in the FA Cup again. Thankfully, though someone remembers what this rivalry is all about.
"That's the one fierce rivalry that, on a football basis, was always between the two of us.” – Ole recalls his own experiences of facing Arsenal…#MUFC #MUTV pic.twitter.com/psJAiGy6hq
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 24, 2019
“Fantastic, that’s the one fierce rivalry, we were always the closest rivals,” new Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Thursday in the pre-match press conference. “They win the Double, we win the Treble, and the games were just fantastic.”
“We had a great team, they had a very good team. I think I just scored once against David Seaman. But the French connection they had – [Thierry] Henry, [Patrick] Vieira, [Robert] Pires, [Emmanuel] Petit. I met them a couple of times in the FA Cup. I think I won two semi-finals but we lost 2-0 at home once. There were some tackles flying in between the two teams. Fantastic games.”
Solskjaer only scored twice against Arsenal during his spell as a United striker, so this is a rivalry in which he’ll want to improve his personal record. But while United’s win over Tottenham a couple of weeks ago dispelled the myth that Solskjaer’s success as a United manager so far is down purely to the nostalgia factor of a club legend with a love for everything United being the man in charge, perhaps that’s exactly what Friday’s fixture needs.
Solskjaer has some memory. Recalled today he only scored once against David Seaman (the 6-1 in 2001). Did score against Arsenal before then in 1997 when John Lukic was in goal. Jens Lehmann brilliantly denied him in 2006. #mufc
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) January 24, 2019
Someone on the sidelines who knows what it means to be playing in this fixture, what the stakes are, how important a win is, not just because losing means being knocked out of a competition that represents both clubs’ best chance at a trophy this season.
If Ander Herrera puts in a hard tackle on Lucas Torreira on Friday, or Alexis Sanchez decides to needle his old home crowd, Solskjaer will be the man to thank. Hopefully, if only briefly, the Arsenal-United rivalry is back.
Solskjaer: “Alexis will be involved (against Arsenal). I think he’ll love it if the crowd turn against him. As a player, pride kicks in and you think ‘I’ll show all of you’. He’s been fantastic in training, his attitude has been spot on so hopefully he’ll enjoy the game.” [MUTV]
— Man Utd Channel (@ManUtdChannel) January 24, 2019