How Good are the Manchesters? And More Injury Woes for Arsenal

It has not been the best of weeks for Manchester United (which is good news for me). First they could only muster a draw with Stoke 1-1 (though on the road) and then a shock 3-3 draw with Basil in the Champions League. This begs the question how good Man U are? I think the answer is very good. They won the league and got to the final of the Champions League last year and are a better squad this year. Even after falling 3-2 behind and looking in real trouble they did the usual Man U shuffle and stole a point at full time. Yet there is clearly a problem at the back and the young team will probably give up a fair number of goals this year. The thing is, they will probably score a lot more. And one can't ignore the fact that Rooney has been out for those two games, and in stellar form at the beginning of this long campaign. So while I hate to admit it, I still think they are the team to beat -- though obviously Man City and Chelsea will probably compete for the crown. While I'm at it, what about that Man City team? One fear was that a team so stacked with talent would lead to player discontent. And it showed up in spades today in the loss to Bayern Munich, that puts their Champions League future in doubt. Carlos Tevez apparently refused to come on in the second half, thus probably ending his career with the club (right after he moved his family there and at least pretended at content). Then Dzeko had a temper tantrum after being taken off for De Jong early in the second half as well (which is a truly bizarre move for a team with such impressive attacking form). So while the Mans will probably vie all year for the title, there is certainly the possibility of some slip ups along the way -- as was the case with Chelsea last year after brilliant early form. 

Can Arsenal take advantage? Well I am a fount of hope when it comes to my favorite club, but I think the year depends on putting together a winning streak starting this weekend against Tottenham and making some moves in the Winter Transfer window. The blown game against Blackburn really burns if you look at the table and realize where they would have been if they had gotten the three points they really should have. But past is not always prologue and we certainly can't change that past. The problems with a needed return to form are threefold:
1. More and more injuries decimating the team. Wilshire is now out until at least January after his ankle injury ultimately called for surgery. Vermaelen is still out as is Diaby and also Djourou (thank god) and Squillaci (maybe even more of a blessing in disguise). But we have just learned that Gervinho, Koscielny and Walcott cannot play either. And Benayoun is unavailable. So count them eight players are already down so early in the campaign. What does this mean for the home Champions League tie tomorrow? Well, Alex Song appears poised to actually play as a center back, meaning Frimpong will start as the holding midfielder. One assumes Sagna on the left and either Gibbs or Santos on the right. Moving forward, I hope Chamberlain gets the start with Van Persie and one assumes Arteta, Ramsey and Rosicky  (or maybe Arshavin). Anyway, hopefully the youngsters can come through and grab us the needed 3 points. 

2. A defense that has been ridiculously porous this year now has to count on Mertesacker as its linchpin, and I'm not really sure he's up for the role. His infamous slowness appears to be a problem and his outlet passes have been average at best. One hopes Song can fill in at the back, or maybe Miquel, but there is certainly cause for concern. Us fans can't count the days fast enough until Vermaelen's return, but it has clearly cost us not getting another centre back for the club this summer. 

3. Taking advantage of opportunities. The last two matches have certainly given Gooners hope, but one can't help but feel we should have scored six against Blackburn and that has been a problem for us since the Carling Cup final last year. Hopefully, Van Persie stays in form and some others start to answer the call when in front of the net with clear opportunities to finish. Santos and Park came with the promise of improving our offensive output. One hopes they answer that call (and in the latter case, are given the chance).