Wenger slams Utd approach

Gunners boss hits out at tough-tackling Red Devils

By Chris Burton   Last updated: 31st August 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Wenger slams Utd approach

Wenger: Sent to the stands

I think it is more anti-football than a player who did what Eduardo did.

Arsene Wenger
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Arsene Wenger has branded Manchester United's style of play this season as 'anti-football'.

The Arsenal boss has slammed the Red Devils' tactics following a fiercely-competitive clash at Old Trafford on Saturday.

United overcame their arch-rivals 2-1 on home soil, recovering from a goal down to take the spoils in the first 'big-four' encounter of the 2009/10 campaign.

Andrey Arshavin had fired Arsenal in front before half-time, but a Wayne Rooney penalty and an own goal from Abou Diaby saw Sir Alex Ferguson's men bounce back after the break.

Things then got worse for the Gunners in the closing stages when Wenger was sent to the stands for kicking a water bottle in frustration after a late Robin van Persie effort was ruled out for offside.

The setback capped a disappointing week for the capital club, with Eduardo's 'dive' against Celtic dominating the headlines prior to the Old Trafford fixture.

Deliberate

Wenger feels his side have been unfairly treated, in the wake of a Uefa ban for Eduardo, and insists United's approach to Saturday's game was far worse than the tumble taken by his striker in Wednesday's UEFA Champions League qualifier.

"I have seen a player who plays on the pitch only to make fouls," he said. "For me, this is a point that is more urgent than diving.

"The players who are never punished, who get out of the game without a yellow card. I think it is more anti-football than a player who did what Eduardo did.

"Look at how many deliberate fouls some players get away with. That's a bigger problem because it cuts the flow of the game. And people pay to see football, not free-kicks."

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Comments (129)

Angelina D says...

No women commented on this yet so let me be the first. Arsenal played the better game despite what a lot of Manchester Utd fans like to admit. The reason they're getting so sour and about it is they can't stand the fact that what we're saying is true. Losing their trophy player has definitely hit them hard, and they need to accept that. Referee's will always favour Old Trafford, but that's all the more reasons for other players to not give them the excuse to call fouls. I just hope that the FA will be consistent in their ban on Eduardo because he is nowhere near as notorious for diving as many other 'big' players- drogba and ronaldo being the worst, and it would be distinctly unfair on him and his squad.

Posted 08:05 3rd September 2009

Oladini Oyebadejo (Manchester United fan) says...

Here he goes again, pontificating about football when he should be fashioning how to win some trophy to justify the hype baout him being a good coach. All said, that kick of the water bottle is out of this world, though. Far, far better than Carrick's penalty kick at Burnley or the horrendous ones we had during the Charity Cup. Just that noone knows if he would have been that good were the poor thing to be a round leather! By the way, what is the problem with Arsene's arithmetic, countig 20 fouls for Fletcher when statistics show he had 6 as againstthe same number for Arsenal's for Van Persie? Arsene's selective (limited or perfunctory vision is legendary) Never knew he had problems with his memory also. Now, let the self-appointed Professor of modern football plus pizza thrower stop fighting everyone in sight, UEFA included; otherwise, this will the beginning of another slide for his Emirate kids.

Posted 01:54 3rd September 2009

Tom Headley (Manchester United fan) says...

Firstly, what Pete Rykowski said about United winning titles because they apparently get "big descisions" at Old Trafford is garbage. I'm not suprised he failed to mention the brilliant attacking playing style and water-tight defence, (biased but true). Secondly, I'm tired of hearing Wenger complain about his players being "kicked" or "fouled". He and his players just expect every team to stand back and let them play their "beautiful football". Fans and managers need to find another reason to dislike United because of their success; because this business of away teams at Old Trafford getting nothing from referees is getting very boring, very fast

Posted 21:43 2nd September 2009

Tim Jones says...

Arsene - Decisions don't always go the way of your team, think he just likes having a whinge, especially when he doesn't get the results he wants at Old Trafford. He was right, two penalties, one given one not, that's life, sometimes it goes your way sometimes it doesn't - do what the rest of us do, just get on with it.

Posted 21:38 2nd September 2009

Musa Abdullahi says...

The controveries is what makes the English Premier Leauge the most exiciting show on the planet

Posted 18:13 2nd September 2009

Xxx Xxx (Bradford City fan) says...

For me i dont understand how people can say that about Manchester United. How they can say that referees are always lenient towards them is a complete and utter exageration. Its funny how they can only remember times when referees are so called lenient towards Manchester United and not when the are lenient to other teams. I can think of a recent occasion when United were hard done to; the charity shield. When Ballack went down the play was stopped however when Evra went down from a straight red card offence from Ballack the play wasn't stopped which led to the Chelsea goal. Is this therefore an occasion when the referee is being leneient towards Chelsea? Of couse it isnt! Why cant people accept that referees make mistakes it is as simple as that and not that they are being lenient to one team over the other. We are talking about professional football here not Sunday league football

Posted 16:04 2nd September 2009

Garry Cotton (Arsenal fan) says...

Steve Jones, the Swansea City fan, is spot on with his comment - referees and fans wonder why players dive so much nowadays and it's largely because if you don't dive, no matter how much you may get cropped, pulled back or impeeded, alot of the time you simply won't get a penalty. Unless you physically ball over like an acrobat you rarely get anything. If they want to see diving out the window first they need to start making correct decisions without the pre-requisite of players falling over to get fouls. I'd also like to acknowledge Jonathan Kearney's post about the 2006 FA Cup, it was essentially the same thing except the teams reversed, I'll definitely admit that. However, I remember Ferguson moaning about the decisions in that game, and Arsenal's gameplay, just like Wenger has done and more importantly I understood him feeling aggrieved. A quick word on the game itself: to the United fan trying to say that United had more chances than Arsenal, all I can do is laugh. Firstly, Arsenal were closer to scoring a second than United ever were to creating a goal by their own construction. Secondly, even the chances you did create were purely due to the fact you fluked a 2-1 lead and thus Arsenal were forced to throw caution to the wind in an attempt to chase after the game. The point is that without that stroke of luck, madness, devil's work - whatever you want to call it - I'm very confident your team would've barely featured in the game as anything resembling a force. This is not meant in a scathing manner, it's meant to be objective and as a message that United need to get their stuff sorted.

Posted 01:32 2nd September 2009

Earl Allen (Manchester United fan) says...

Arsene always has something to moan about whenever manchester united beats them marginally, the only time he admitted their loss was just, was when we defeated them 3-0 in the second leg at the emirates. His comments were out of place in a very well contested and good game of football end-to-end stuff. Yes its disappointing to lose but thats football sometimes things do not go your way and sometimes they do. But this myth that manchester united gets everything is foolish. Look at the dive eduardo got against Celtic. It happens to every club, sometimes things go your way and sometimes it does not. If you have to rely on a refs call in every game to tip things in your favour maybe iit highlights a deeper problem with your team. But football is a contact sport if you don't like it play or manage in a non-contact sports team game

Posted 00:53 2nd September 2009

Daniel Caruana (Manchester United fan) says...

What about the Fletcher incident last season which cost him a place in the final?? It might have had an influence on the final itself. Nothing was made out of it by Wenger after the match. Yet this year since he wasnt booked or sent off he feels that Fletcher didnt play right. Sorry Mr Wenger, as much as i respect you i disagree with you. After all we're playing football not basketball.

Posted 00:34 2nd September 2009

Colin Lowry (Liverpool fan) says...

Well let's just start with football is getting softer and softer. Also no one likes to see diving in a game (besides the portuguese of course) but no one likes to see bad officiating. Factor in that the penalty was decently early in the game and this would have changed EVERY other play in the game, and all you really have is a diving player and horrible officiating. If Man Poonited wants to get physical, be physical back, because you can't count on the refs to save your ass every time.

Posted 00:25 2nd September 2009

Rehan Ashraf says...

Ok, so we lost. We should not have but its one game from which to analyse, learn and try to rectify the next time. I take solace from an unlucky loss that we created chances throughout the match, before and after all the goals went in. The worrying point for United is that apart from scoring from 2 Arsenal mistakes, they created nothing apart from when they hit us on the break when we were pouring forward. We have adopted a new system which has made us more solid and thus far only our forwards are still to acclimatise to it. We are scoring goals from all over the pitch. We even went to Old Trafford and bossed the game WITHOUT Fabregas. Our new closing down philosophy (if maintained) will bring success sooner rather than later. Look at United - they may have won but have flattered to deceive without Ronaldo. Beating us is one thing at Old Trafford, but what happens when you play Liverpool, Chelsea, City, Spurs? That one defeat for us does not look so bad now.

Posted 23:54 1st September 2009

Mark Byworth (Arsenal fan) says...

Just wondering when the official premiership referee kit will be a red shirt with white shorts, sponsored by AIG ????

Posted 21:00 1st September 2009

Hugh Janus (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

Its amazing that whenever Wengers team are beaten the anti football comments arise.. On numerous times last season teams tacticly set up to stop Arsenal playing and its anti football.. By the nature of the game its to the opposition managers credit to identify his opponents strenghths and counter that. It was Blackburn, Fulham and the like who got slated by him before.. Sir Alex clearly felt his team may struggle in the middle with arsenals pace, Fletcher did a job and did it superbly. Are Teams supposed to just go toe to toe with them and get humped.. Maybe if Wenger got it tacticly right on a few more occasions himself they may actually win something. Pretty football counts for nothing if you aint succesful.

Posted 20:37 1st September 2009

Femi Mare (Arsenal fan) says...

Mike Dean shouldn't be allowed to refer a Prem league what so ever cos he is clueless when it comes to a big games like Man united vs Arsenal. Am an Arsenal fan, but people talking about Alex Fergousen Intimidating the refs when ever teams comes to old tralfford but i think there is more to it in the aspect of some referees. To start with, it was this same Mike Dean that refer the match between Man united vs Arsenal @ same stadium last year, in that match alone, Arsenal players received 5 yellow cards compare to Man united 0 card, this season the last week game, Arsenal received 6 yellow cards to Man united 2 yellow cards going by the statistics of the numbers of fouls made during the game. To me, that Man united penalty was a clean penalty no doubt about that, but i think Arsavin's tackled by Darren Fletcher was a penalty too, but to a man of Mike Dean calibre, Arsenal does not deserve a penalty. I think this man( Mike Dean) should be relegated to conference league for more experience to save the FA of this country from a further embarassment. My basis of contribution is not to blame both teams cos they are both outstanding teams in the world only to be over shadowed by the underperformance of some inexperience, biased referees like Mike Dean rather i would like the FA of this country to be more factual when ever a match of such calibre i.e Man united vs Arsenal and a referees report is forwarded, the FA should take a proper good looking @ it in other to save their reputation from been dent.

Posted 20:26 1st September 2009

Mark (carlisle fan) Booker says...

We're only a couple of games into the season and the cheats are at it already - Eduardo clear dive, Eboue clear dive, Rooney very clever dive and they're only the ones that the media have really gone to town on. But why all the commotion about diving? You all seem to have forgotten that football is no longer a sport but a business where winning, therefore maximum profit, is the only thing that counts. So don't be surprised when all the so called best players fall over at the slightest touch, blatently dive or delibrately foul. After all there's no profit in fair play.

Posted 19:18 1st September 2009

Tanesha Kenney (Manchester United fan) says...

This is all pathetic ... im a Man UTD fan and yes Fletcher did foul Arshavin but i honestly think that Footballers today need to toughen up ... when they get tackled they act asif they have broken their ankle but when they get a free kick or penalty they jump straight back up and they are fine ... Arsene needs to grow up and stop moaning every time his team loses ... he's a bad loser ... but footballers are just little ponsies now

Posted 18:14 1st September 2009

Simon Lagesse says...

It's unbelievable to see such a referee not being fined & fired by FA. It's simply disgusting for the imageof the premier leaugue. It was like a bad joke to see how a referee can be act like a Manchester fan was refering. I 100% understand Wenger's frustration because all decisions were going in favour of Manu. Please check the statistics: Isn't there a point to start investigating Dean relation (his bank account) with Sir Alex or/and Manu. It's a JOKE Mr Dean. Watch back the match & take your pen & note how many bad decision you took. You gave the match to Manchester it's a fact for me. I am always fair in my views but for Manu/Arsenal it's always the same song. I think you should have gone & celebrate with Rooney and other catch players.

Posted 18:12 1st September 2009

Greg D (Arsenal fan) says...

United are the masters of clever fouls. they do it before you can get on the break so it never looks like a cardable offence. Valencia had the left (our left) covered Evra the right. Both in my opinion should have been booked early in the first half. Valencia managed not to be booked at all. I can't blame united for this. it works. I entirely blame the ref~ we desperately need some sort of rule regarding persistant fouling. Arsenal's dead balls are appaling so its especially effective against us, added to that our willingness to play fast open football often fouls go unpunished as we continue with the advantage where a Liverpool side would stop for the foul. Well done to the ref for booking Rooney

Posted 17:09 1st September 2009

Bernswar Robbo says...

Does Wenger forget how many red cards Arsenal team have had over the years. And can I mention Patrick Viera - the most sent off player the premiership has seen - people in glass houses!!

Posted 16:31 1st September 2009

Pete Rykowski says...

I have to say that Wenger coming out and saying about these anti-football tactic has for me overshadowed the important talking point of the game, which is why do Manchester United always get the big decisions go there way at Old Trafford. Take a look at the two penalty shouts for example, Arshavin gets hacked down in the area by Fletcher and the referee turns a blind eye surprise, surprise. Secondly Rooney flies through on goal and gets the slightest of touches from Alminia when ofcourse he was already half way down and the ref points straight to the spot. I don't know if anyone else has noticed this but take a look at where the ball goes when Rooney kicks it past Almunia. It goes flying off miles into the distance and there's no way Rooney would have got to it. Whenever there's a game at Old Trafford the referee's arm will always point towards the spot (especially Mike Reilly who coincidently seems to get most of Manchester United's games.) There is massive biast toward United especially at home, no wonder they keep winning titles. The referee's have to be stronger at Old Trafford

Posted 08:51 1st September 2009

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