Arsenal Face a Familiar Foe

Some rivalries live forever.  There are those which fizzle out and are forgotten, and some so ridiculous that not even those involved ever reconcile.  Then there’s the rivalry between Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane. 

Arsenal face a familiar face on Saturday when they travel to Villa Park to take on Paul Lambert’s red-hot Aston Villa side.  The two clubs don’t necessarily have a heated rivalry, but one of the men on the Villa touchline has quite a history with the North London club.

For nine intense years, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira gave fans some of the most intense matches to date.  The two captains simply hated each other and had a hateful playing relationship to put it lightly.  The Battle of Old Trafford amidst Arsenal’s unbeaten 2003/2004 season comes to mind, as does the famous tunnel incident that took place before the opening whistle had even blown. 

It’s in Gooners’ blood to hate Keane, and it’s in Red Devils’ to hate Vieira.  There isn’t a personal rivalry in the league today that even sniffs at the feuds between these two giants of the past.  For Keane though, his new position as assistant manager at Aston Villa gives him a chance to exact some more pain on Arsenal. 

Defender Alan Hutton recently hailed the influence Keane has had on the squad, citing the former Manchester United man’s motivational skills and belief he holds in his players.  Similar to how Steve Bould has transformed the Arsenal back line in the last few years, Keane has added an extra bite to a side who feeds off positive energy and momentum. 

Fabian Delph is the poster-child for the club right now, as he recently won his first caps with England.  Delph’s call-up is indicative of the work the entire club has put in.  His inclusion in Roy Hodgson’s squad for Euro qualifiers gives hope to Tom Cleverley, whose once promising career spiraled and spiraled downward until he was promptly loaned to Villa on deadline day. 

Always lacking confidence with United, it will come as no surprise to see Cleverley reinvent himself under the tutelage of Lambert and Keane.  Often the scapegoat to supporters, the Englishman was never going to succeed at a club whose supporters want absolutely nothing to do with him.

Under Sir Alex Ferguson, Cleverley saw limited playing time in his favored position, and as a result his form and confidence were shot.  Keane, who less then a year ago called Ferguson ‘egotistical,’ will instill the same rebellious and fiery approach in Cleverley that he abided to in his playing days. 

Last December, Keane and Vieira together reconciled and re-lived all the epic battles in which they were involved.  In essence, this rivalry embodies the perfect personal rivalry in sports; two men who hate each other on the field, but one day have the respect and intelligence to acknowledge his counterpart’s passion and ability.

The Frenchman now manages the reserve squad at Manchester City, while the Irishman no longer associates himself with Manchester United.  The intensity of these two men’s rivalry will likely never be replicated in today’s more harshly policed style of play, but on Saturday expect every bit of Roy Keane’s hatred for Arsenal and passion to be injected into a hungry Aston Villa side.

Is Di Maria Worth It?

It has been one point shy of a nightmare start for Louis Van Gaal in the premier league.  Following a lackluster defeat to Swansea at home, Manchester United bagged a point in week two away to Sunderland.  Things cannot get much worse for the Dutchman, but with the addition of Marcos Rojo, and the imminent signing of Angel Di Maria, things are looking to improve.  

It is widely believed that Angel Di Maria will be unveiled as a Manchester United player Tuesday morning, having completed his move to Old Trafford for a fee in the region of 60 million pounds.  

This will break the English transfer record by 10 million pounds, so one has to wonder if Di Maria is worth the fee.  However, the way things are going at Manchester United right now, it’s a given that the club will have to overpay players of Di Maria’s pedigree to join.  

The 130,000 pound-per-week wage package given to Luke Shaw was heavily criticized by Jose Mourinho of all people.  These comments mean a lot coming from “The Special One”, who has spent more than any manager in the world since 2004 (now over 900 million euros) and would be better suited for the title “The Spending One.”  

Part dig at a rival club, and part truth, this accusation that United are overpaying for Luke Shaw is completely spot-on.  Mourinho justifies this by saying a deal that large for a 19 year old would derail morale amongst the older players, but United would not have the youngster had they not stumped up that amount of money.    

United are not in a position of leverage right now as they had been for decades under Alex Ferguson.  Liverpool are exiting their own era in which they had to overpay for players, while United are taking their turn dealing with the cruel nature of the transfer market.  Coming off a seventh-place finish in the league and no Champions League football to show for it, United are in the precarious position of being forced to pay top dollar for everything.  

Di Maria is no exception to this, but even so, the fee is very, very steep.  Paris Saint Germain were priced out of a deal for Di Maria a month ago, so Van Gaal must be beyond impressed by the Argentine to shell out this much cash for him.  

Di Maria showed his worth to Argentina in the World Cup, and was awarded man of the match in the UEFA Champions League Final against Atletico Madrid.  His pace is unquestionable, and although he has shortcomings defensively, Van Gaal will accommodate these with the team he puts on the field. 

However, it remains to be seen if Di Maria can be ‘the man’ for a team.  For Argentina, he always plays off of Lionel Messi, while Madrid have their own fair share of world-beaters to grab headlines.  Stepping out from under the shadow of these players will be a big step in the career of the Argentine.  

Di Maria impressed me greatly last season when he still managed a spectacular year with the arrival of Gareth Bale from Tottenham.  The Argentine played more through the middle than he had in years past and was a catalyst for both club and country with a more free role.  

If Di Maria can handle the rockstar-type media attention that will hover over him like a dark cloud, he could very well justify the 60 million pounds United are paying for his services.  Earlier in the summer, Di Maria turned down a lucrative contract extension, and given the arrival of James and the presence of Bale, it’s no surprise he has moved on.  

Coming off Champions League glory in Lisbon and a silver medal in Brazil, Di Maria easily could have signed a bigger deal and sat around in Madrid likely surrounding time to the likes of Isco, Modric, and James.  The winger’s desire is on full display right now; he has left the Galacticos in favor of spearheading a rebuilding project.  

The Argentine is stepping out from the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo and taking it upon himself to be ‘the man’ at Old Trafford.  In fact, it is rumored that Ronaldo had to do with Di Maria's decision to join United.  It would be poetically just if the Argentine brought back the same flair that has been missing from Old Trafford since Ronaldo left.