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Henry Winter: Arsenal's angel against Manchester United's Red Devil in battle of cards
Duel between Cesc Fabregas and Darren Fletcher at the Emirates pits a footballing angel against the Red Devil, beauty versus the beastly.
By Henry Winter
Published: 6:00PM GMT 30 Jan 2010
Duellists: Cesc Fabregas slides in on Darren Fletcher Photo: ACTION IMAGES
But it's not as simplistic as that.
Whisper it around the Arsenal camp but Fabregas's disciplinary record is worse than Fletcher's, a midfielder decried by Wenger as a practitioner of the dark arts of "anti-football''.
Arsenal's elegant captain is patently the more watchable, a stadium-filling cavalier to United's midfield Roundhead, but some perspective needs introducing into the anti-Fletcher debate launched by Wenger.
When the teams met in August, the Frenchman paused in a corridor backstage at the Theatre of Dreams to deliver some acerbic observations about United's No 24. He never mentioned Fletcher by name, simply nodding and smiling when asked whether he was referring to Fletcher.
United's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, believes that Wenger's judgment had been skewed by the frustration of defeat. "Darren is not a dirty player,'' stressed Ferguson. Physical? Yes. A midfielder who harries opponents? Yes. But malevolent? No.
For those watching Fletcher closely, and more pertinently listening, his more consistent offence is dissent, hardly the greatest revelation to observers of United in the Ferguson era.
Fletcher, 26 on Monday, moans a lot to referees. Just watch. If an Arsenal player milks a challenge, Fletcher will gripe towards the referee, Chris Foy. If an Arsenal player commits a foul, Fletcher will make sure the referee knows it. Fortunately, Foy is far too experienced to be taken in by such gamesmanship.
The whistle-blowing community may tire of Fletcher's backchat but he is not seen as a hatchet-man, as entries in referee's ledgers confirm. Over five seasons (including this), his disciplinary record is that of a schoolboy who has had the odd detention, the occasional nervous wait outside the headmaster's study, but he is hardly auditioning for the Malcolm McDowell part in the film If.
In 2005-06, Fletcher was cautioned four times in 49 games for United and Scotland. The next season he was a model of restraint, only three bookings in 46 games. The following year brought five yellows in 30 while last season's 46 appearances drew six yellows and, controversially, a red card on May 5, 2009, at the Emirates.
Seventy-five minutes into an absorbing Champions League semi-final, second leg, Fabregas went through on goal. Fletcher slid in, Fabregas went down and the United man was dismissed for denying an opponent a goalscoring opportunity.
Television replays indicated that Fletcher had been focused solely on the ball, and there was huge sympathy for the Scot, particularly as he was ruled out of the Rome final. As challenges go, it was hardly "anti-football''.
In his 27 appearances this term, Fletcher has garnered four yellows and a red card at Birmingham City on Jan 9 for two bookable offences. If the second yellow was debatable, a silly but hardly malicious trip on Cameron Jerome, his first offence, a brutal poleaxing of Lee Bowyer, could easily have been a red.
And so to Fabregas. In 2005-06, the Spaniard was cautioned seven times in 54 outings and was sent off at Goodison for grabbing Tim Cahill by the throat. Nine yellow cards followed in 2006-07 (59 games), 10 in the next season (55), eight in 2008-09 (33) and four so far from this term's 26 games.
Fabregas's 227 appearances over the past five seasons have seen him booked 38 times and sent off once. Fletcher's 198 games over the same period have brought 16 fewer yellow cards to Fabregas (22) but one more red.
Such numbers can never be used to argue that Fletcher is a cleaner player than Fabregas, simply that he does not merit Wenger's sniping. In fact, until Alex Song matured into such an influential presence alongside Fabregas, Fletcher was just the type of steely ball-winner Wenger craved in midfield.
Arsenal should stop talking about their fear of opponents kicking them because it could burden them psychologically. Past matches between United and Arsenal have seen frequent excess. José Antonio Reyes probably still has nightmares of being stalked and scythed down by the Neville brothers. The blithe riposte from Phil Neville was that "I think the Arsenal players have it in their contracts that you can't tackle them.''
However, Arsenal players have dished it out in the past. Patrick Vieira was never afraid to put the foot in. Both parties were guilty of losing all restraint at Old Trafford on Oct 20 1990. In the official biography of Arsenal, the mass brawl was described with wonderful understatement as an "unseemly scuffle'' which started with "a difference of opinion between Nigel Winterburn and Brian McClair''.
The tone reflects the club's love of decorum, including the description of the moment in 2003 when Arsenal lost the title race to United at Bolton. "The frustration was evident on the touchline as Wenger loosened his tie.''
Arsenal are certainly back in the chase for this championship, "back in the fray'' as Ferguson puts it. Fabregas's role has been important. "He's their talisman, their main player,'' said Ferguson.
Fletcher, who excelled in a more creative role against Manchester City last week, will seek to close the space around Arsenal's captain and playmaker on Sunday afternoon. It promises to be a fascinating duel.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...-of-cards.html
Duel between Cesc Fabregas and Darren Fletcher at the Emirates pits a footballing angel against the Red Devil, beauty versus the beastly.
By Henry Winter
Published: 6:00PM GMT 30 Jan 2010
Duellists: Cesc Fabregas slides in on Darren Fletcher Photo: ACTION IMAGES But it's not as simplistic as that.
Whisper it around the Arsenal camp but Fabregas's disciplinary record is worse than Fletcher's, a midfielder decried by Wenger as a practitioner of the dark arts of "anti-football''.
Arsenal's elegant captain is patently the more watchable, a stadium-filling cavalier to United's midfield Roundhead, but some perspective needs introducing into the anti-Fletcher debate launched by Wenger.
When the teams met in August, the Frenchman paused in a corridor backstage at the Theatre of Dreams to deliver some acerbic observations about United's No 24. He never mentioned Fletcher by name, simply nodding and smiling when asked whether he was referring to Fletcher.
United's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, believes that Wenger's judgment had been skewed by the frustration of defeat. "Darren is not a dirty player,'' stressed Ferguson. Physical? Yes. A midfielder who harries opponents? Yes. But malevolent? No.
For those watching Fletcher closely, and more pertinently listening, his more consistent offence is dissent, hardly the greatest revelation to observers of United in the Ferguson era.
Fletcher, 26 on Monday, moans a lot to referees. Just watch. If an Arsenal player milks a challenge, Fletcher will gripe towards the referee, Chris Foy. If an Arsenal player commits a foul, Fletcher will make sure the referee knows it. Fortunately, Foy is far too experienced to be taken in by such gamesmanship.
The whistle-blowing community may tire of Fletcher's backchat but he is not seen as a hatchet-man, as entries in referee's ledgers confirm. Over five seasons (including this), his disciplinary record is that of a schoolboy who has had the odd detention, the occasional nervous wait outside the headmaster's study, but he is hardly auditioning for the Malcolm McDowell part in the film If.
In 2005-06, Fletcher was cautioned four times in 49 games for United and Scotland. The next season he was a model of restraint, only three bookings in 46 games. The following year brought five yellows in 30 while last season's 46 appearances drew six yellows and, controversially, a red card on May 5, 2009, at the Emirates.
Seventy-five minutes into an absorbing Champions League semi-final, second leg, Fabregas went through on goal. Fletcher slid in, Fabregas went down and the United man was dismissed for denying an opponent a goalscoring opportunity.
Television replays indicated that Fletcher had been focused solely on the ball, and there was huge sympathy for the Scot, particularly as he was ruled out of the Rome final. As challenges go, it was hardly "anti-football''.
In his 27 appearances this term, Fletcher has garnered four yellows and a red card at Birmingham City on Jan 9 for two bookable offences. If the second yellow was debatable, a silly but hardly malicious trip on Cameron Jerome, his first offence, a brutal poleaxing of Lee Bowyer, could easily have been a red.
And so to Fabregas. In 2005-06, the Spaniard was cautioned seven times in 54 outings and was sent off at Goodison for grabbing Tim Cahill by the throat. Nine yellow cards followed in 2006-07 (59 games), 10 in the next season (55), eight in 2008-09 (33) and four so far from this term's 26 games.
Fabregas's 227 appearances over the past five seasons have seen him booked 38 times and sent off once. Fletcher's 198 games over the same period have brought 16 fewer yellow cards to Fabregas (22) but one more red.
Such numbers can never be used to argue that Fletcher is a cleaner player than Fabregas, simply that he does not merit Wenger's sniping. In fact, until Alex Song matured into such an influential presence alongside Fabregas, Fletcher was just the type of steely ball-winner Wenger craved in midfield.
Arsenal should stop talking about their fear of opponents kicking them because it could burden them psychologically. Past matches between United and Arsenal have seen frequent excess. José Antonio Reyes probably still has nightmares of being stalked and scythed down by the Neville brothers. The blithe riposte from Phil Neville was that "I think the Arsenal players have it in their contracts that you can't tackle them.''
However, Arsenal players have dished it out in the past. Patrick Vieira was never afraid to put the foot in. Both parties were guilty of losing all restraint at Old Trafford on Oct 20 1990. In the official biography of Arsenal, the mass brawl was described with wonderful understatement as an "unseemly scuffle'' which started with "a difference of opinion between Nigel Winterburn and Brian McClair''.
The tone reflects the club's love of decorum, including the description of the moment in 2003 when Arsenal lost the title race to United at Bolton. "The frustration was evident on the touchline as Wenger loosened his tie.''
Arsenal are certainly back in the chase for this championship, "back in the fray'' as Ferguson puts it. Fabregas's role has been important. "He's their talisman, their main player,'' said Ferguson.
Fletcher, who excelled in a more creative role against Manchester City last week, will seek to close the space around Arsenal's captain and playmaker on Sunday afternoon. It promises to be a fascinating duel.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...-of-cards.html