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Paul Scholes dismisses Arsenal's title challenge and says Barcelona are Manchester United's benchmark
Wenger’s first-team squad report for pre-season training on Tuesday with the Frenchman facing arguably the biggest challenge of his 15-year reign as Arsenal manager with the club seemingly fighting a losing battle to hold on to star players Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.
With full-back Gäel Clichy adding to the sense of turmoil at the Emirates by agreeing a move to Manchester City, Scholes, who ended his 17-year United career last season, insists that overhauling Barcelona in Europe, rather than worrying about Arsenal in the Premier League, is the priority at Old Trafford.
And after helping Sir Alex Ferguson’s team end Arsenal’s hopes of success in both the League and FA Cup last season, Scholes prepares to take his place on Manchester United’s coaching staff this summer by claiming that Wenger’s ethos is flawed and has left Arsenal in crisis.
Scholes said: “Arsenal just flatter to deceive. They may play the prettiest football, but it doesn’t always produce the results they need.
“You talk about Arsenal as supposedly the best footballing team in England. Well, people say they play the most attractive football, don’t they?”
He said it “has never irritated me” that people say Arsenal are the best footballing team, “because while they are doing that, we are winning games.
“They do play the best football to watch at times, but what is the point, if you are not winning anything? Not only that, they are potentially going to lose their best players, in Fabregas, Nasri and Clichy. I hope Nasri comes to United.
“Success does go in cycles, but the way we have been set out at United for the last 15-20 years, I would be surprised if we went six years without a trophy.
“You can’t say it won’t happen, because you only have to think of what Liverpool went through, but I don’t think our manager will allow that to happen to us.”
But for a late miss by Nicklas Bendtner during Arsenal’s Champions League second-round elimination against Barcelona last season, Wenger’s team could have knocked out Pep Guardiola’s side and proceeded to a Wembley final against United.
But Scholes, who will make a farewell appearance in a testimonial against New York Cosmos at Old Trafford on Aug 5, insists Arsenal were well beaten by a team he admits are now the example for every other club in world football.
“If you look over those two games between Arsenal and Barcelona, Jesus Christ, it could have been any score.” Scholes said. “In that first game at the Emirates, Barcelona could have been out of sight in the first half.” United were subjected to a similarly humbling experience in the Champions League final at the end of last season.
It was the second time in three seasons that the talents of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi proved too much for United on the biggest stage and Scholes, a substitute in both games, claims that overhauling Barcelona is now the biggest challenge of Ferguson’s career.
“On the night, we felt that we were a million miles away from them.” Scholes admits. “It was bad, probably as bad as two years ago in Rome really. You would have hoped that in that two years we would have been able to bridge the gap a bit really. The only thing we did differently this time was score.
“How do you bridge the gap? It’s a big question and I’m sure the manager is going to have plans about how to do it because there’s no doubt, that’s where you want to be. Barcelona are the benchmark for everybody to reach.
“You have to hold your hands up and say they were better than you, but you don’t like saying it do you? You don’t like admitting it, but this time they were, two years ago they were. But we have to work to try to get to that level.”
He said it was Ferguson’s biggest challenge, adding: “He will have been thinking about the game all summer, working out how he can avoid that sort of thing happening again.
“When you are taught a lesson like that – not once, but twice – it stays with you.
“The biggest thing about Barca’s players is their unselfishness. I know Messi is the one who scores 50 goals a year, but among the team, he is not the big star. As a group, they are all stars among the team but there’s not one who stands out who wants to take the credit.
“They are just an unselfish team in which not one of them is out for glory.”
Wayne Rooney’s divisive attempt to leave United last season suggested he had begun to view himself as bigger than those around him, but while conceding Rooney was “disrespectful” with his approach to the situation, Scholes believes the 25 year-old can become United’s Messi.
“I think Wayne was a little bit disrespectful, but he held his hands up afterwards and said sorry.” Scholes said. “He definitely regretted the statement. But he came good in the second half of the season and he can still go up several notches, for sure. We have not seen the best of him yet.
“He is capable of being the same for us as Messi is for Barcelona. When his head is right and he is right physically, he can do real damage.
“Hopefully we will see the very best of him in the next two or three years.”
Wenger’s first-team squad report for pre-season training on Tuesday with the Frenchman facing arguably the biggest challenge of his 15-year reign as Arsenal manager with the club seemingly fighting a losing battle to hold on to star players Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.
With full-back Gäel Clichy adding to the sense of turmoil at the Emirates by agreeing a move to Manchester City, Scholes, who ended his 17-year United career last season, insists that overhauling Barcelona in Europe, rather than worrying about Arsenal in the Premier League, is the priority at Old Trafford.
And after helping Sir Alex Ferguson’s team end Arsenal’s hopes of success in both the League and FA Cup last season, Scholes prepares to take his place on Manchester United’s coaching staff this summer by claiming that Wenger’s ethos is flawed and has left Arsenal in crisis.
Scholes said: “Arsenal just flatter to deceive. They may play the prettiest football, but it doesn’t always produce the results they need.
“You talk about Arsenal as supposedly the best footballing team in England. Well, people say they play the most attractive football, don’t they?”
He said it “has never irritated me” that people say Arsenal are the best footballing team, “because while they are doing that, we are winning games.
“They do play the best football to watch at times, but what is the point, if you are not winning anything? Not only that, they are potentially going to lose their best players, in Fabregas, Nasri and Clichy. I hope Nasri comes to United.
“Success does go in cycles, but the way we have been set out at United for the last 15-20 years, I would be surprised if we went six years without a trophy.
“You can’t say it won’t happen, because you only have to think of what Liverpool went through, but I don’t think our manager will allow that to happen to us.”
But for a late miss by Nicklas Bendtner during Arsenal’s Champions League second-round elimination against Barcelona last season, Wenger’s team could have knocked out Pep Guardiola’s side and proceeded to a Wembley final against United.
But Scholes, who will make a farewell appearance in a testimonial against New York Cosmos at Old Trafford on Aug 5, insists Arsenal were well beaten by a team he admits are now the example for every other club in world football.
“If you look over those two games between Arsenal and Barcelona, Jesus Christ, it could have been any score.” Scholes said. “In that first game at the Emirates, Barcelona could have been out of sight in the first half.” United were subjected to a similarly humbling experience in the Champions League final at the end of last season.
It was the second time in three seasons that the talents of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi proved too much for United on the biggest stage and Scholes, a substitute in both games, claims that overhauling Barcelona is now the biggest challenge of Ferguson’s career.
“On the night, we felt that we were a million miles away from them.” Scholes admits. “It was bad, probably as bad as two years ago in Rome really. You would have hoped that in that two years we would have been able to bridge the gap a bit really. The only thing we did differently this time was score.
“How do you bridge the gap? It’s a big question and I’m sure the manager is going to have plans about how to do it because there’s no doubt, that’s where you want to be. Barcelona are the benchmark for everybody to reach.
“You have to hold your hands up and say they were better than you, but you don’t like saying it do you? You don’t like admitting it, but this time they were, two years ago they were. But we have to work to try to get to that level.”
He said it was Ferguson’s biggest challenge, adding: “He will have been thinking about the game all summer, working out how he can avoid that sort of thing happening again.
“When you are taught a lesson like that – not once, but twice – it stays with you.
“The biggest thing about Barca’s players is their unselfishness. I know Messi is the one who scores 50 goals a year, but among the team, he is not the big star. As a group, they are all stars among the team but there’s not one who stands out who wants to take the credit.
“They are just an unselfish team in which not one of them is out for glory.”
Wayne Rooney’s divisive attempt to leave United last season suggested he had begun to view himself as bigger than those around him, but while conceding Rooney was “disrespectful” with his approach to the situation, Scholes believes the 25 year-old can become United’s Messi.
“I think Wayne was a little bit disrespectful, but he held his hands up afterwards and said sorry.” Scholes said. “He definitely regretted the statement. But he came good in the second half of the season and he can still go up several notches, for sure. We have not seen the best of him yet.
“He is capable of being the same for us as Messi is for Barcelona. When his head is right and he is right physically, he can do real damage.
“Hopefully we will see the very best of him in the next two or three years.”
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