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Premiership Talk's Zain Alvi feels that Man United's rival's should worry about their own performance before making a judgment at the current League leaders.
As soon as the referee blew his whistle to bring a toughly contested fixture between Manchester United and Everton to its end at Old Trafford, it became clear that the home side has indeed mastered the technique of winning games with a 1-0 margin this season. Some of their rivals feel that Sir Alex Ferguson's men have been lucky to escape with multiple 1-0 wins this season and many have accused United of appearing "lost" on their way to yet another successful season.
I choose to disagree. For me, the table does not lie and Manchester United clearly lie where they belong. Keeping twelve consecutive clean sheets definitely doesn't hurt, especially when you can manage to add that one goal and grind home all the three points. Therefore, I question the claims of rival fans when they ridicule the reigning champions for continuously walking the "one-nil" path rather than dominating opponents like a champion should.
My objection is that if Manchester United is crawling its way to merely a one-nil win all the time, how is your team performing? And this is an Arsenal fan talking. The last time Manchester United were beaten, it was at the Emirates and ever since that afternoon of November 8, the Red Devils have ensured that they play the kind of football that is effective enough to pull them clear of not only Arsenal, but also the rest of the pack.
Not to mention, United also managed to travel to Japan in between to become World Club Champions while their rivals blew all the chances in the world to go clear at the top. Returning to my previous argument, I once again question those fans about their own teams' performances when they raise a finger on this United side for fighting to one-nil wins. At least United are clinical enough to put lower level oppositions away while also managing the occasional 3-0 thumping of Chelsea.
The Blues, for example, have drawn 1-1 against both Stoke City and West Ham at Stamford Bridge in recent memory. That means they also score only once like United, except of course they also concede that odd goal. Third-place Liverpool, on the other hand, can boast of a better defensive record against the likes of Stoke but then again, the Reds have failed to score that much needed goal against Stoke over two goalless ties.
As an Arsenal fan, I am obviously the last person to get away from the harsh reality of the Premier League this year. Every time a game involving the Gunners kicks off, it seems to me that a 1-1 or a 0-0 draw is the most probable result, while winning has become a rare blessing. Not too long ago, I was at the Emirates last season watching Arsenal demolish opponents left and right with an average score-line of 3-0.
The league has obviously gotten a lot more competitive ever since, and therefore winning by a score of 1-0 has become quite a challenge for even the top clubs in the country. Hence, I salute Manchester United for grinding out these absolutely vital "one-nil" wins and carving an incredible niche for themselves at the summit of the Barclays Premier League this season.
I would like to end this article with a story I love sharing with football fans around the world. During his prime, Michael Owen was a highly acclaimed striker and yet many fans accused him of being a "tap-in" striker. As an Owen fan, I was never offended by this accusation because I felt that the adjective "tap-in" was a testament to his ability to be in the right place at the right time.
This is exactly what Manchester United has acquired - the ability to be at the right place at the right time. Therefore, it is very difficult - yet only reasonable - to accept that if the Red Devils carry this form all the way till May, they would be worthy of becoming crowned the Barclays Premier League Champions yet again.
As soon as the referee blew his whistle to bring a toughly contested fixture between Manchester United and Everton to its end at Old Trafford, it became clear that the home side has indeed mastered the technique of winning games with a 1-0 margin this season. Some of their rivals feel that Sir Alex Ferguson's men have been lucky to escape with multiple 1-0 wins this season and many have accused United of appearing "lost" on their way to yet another successful season. I choose to disagree. For me, the table does not lie and Manchester United clearly lie where they belong. Keeping twelve consecutive clean sheets definitely doesn't hurt, especially when you can manage to add that one goal and grind home all the three points. Therefore, I question the claims of rival fans when they ridicule the reigning champions for continuously walking the "one-nil" path rather than dominating opponents like a champion should.
My objection is that if Manchester United is crawling its way to merely a one-nil win all the time, how is your team performing? And this is an Arsenal fan talking. The last time Manchester United were beaten, it was at the Emirates and ever since that afternoon of November 8, the Red Devils have ensured that they play the kind of football that is effective enough to pull them clear of not only Arsenal, but also the rest of the pack.
Not to mention, United also managed to travel to Japan in between to become World Club Champions while their rivals blew all the chances in the world to go clear at the top. Returning to my previous argument, I once again question those fans about their own teams' performances when they raise a finger on this United side for fighting to one-nil wins. At least United are clinical enough to put lower level oppositions away while also managing the occasional 3-0 thumping of Chelsea.
The Blues, for example, have drawn 1-1 against both Stoke City and West Ham at Stamford Bridge in recent memory. That means they also score only once like United, except of course they also concede that odd goal. Third-place Liverpool, on the other hand, can boast of a better defensive record against the likes of Stoke but then again, the Reds have failed to score that much needed goal against Stoke over two goalless ties.
As an Arsenal fan, I am obviously the last person to get away from the harsh reality of the Premier League this year. Every time a game involving the Gunners kicks off, it seems to me that a 1-1 or a 0-0 draw is the most probable result, while winning has become a rare blessing. Not too long ago, I was at the Emirates last season watching Arsenal demolish opponents left and right with an average score-line of 3-0.
The league has obviously gotten a lot more competitive ever since, and therefore winning by a score of 1-0 has become quite a challenge for even the top clubs in the country. Hence, I salute Manchester United for grinding out these absolutely vital "one-nil" wins and carving an incredible niche for themselves at the summit of the Barclays Premier League this season.
I would like to end this article with a story I love sharing with football fans around the world. During his prime, Michael Owen was a highly acclaimed striker and yet many fans accused him of being a "tap-in" striker. As an Owen fan, I was never offended by this accusation because I felt that the adjective "tap-in" was a testament to his ability to be in the right place at the right time.
This is exactly what Manchester United has acquired - the ability to be at the right place at the right time. Therefore, it is very difficult - yet only reasonable - to accept that if the Red Devils carry this form all the way till May, they would be worthy of becoming crowned the Barclays Premier League Champions yet again.
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