Wayne Rooney, the all-time leading scorer for Manchester United, revealed the "weird" strategy used by Sir Alex Ferguson to help his team defeat Arsenal and Arsene Wenger.
In preparation for their September 13 encounter against Benfica at the Estadio da Luz, Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson (L) and Wayne Rooney take part in a first team practice.
Arsenal and Manchester United may not be at the top of the Premier League anymore, but their legendary rivalry still makes it a big deal when the two teams face off.
United and the Gunners engaged in year-round combat in the historic reigns of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
United and the Gunners traded blows year after year in the struggle for the domestic championship under the legendary leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, with games frequently erupting into violence. Although the match has lost some of its sting since the two players retired, excitement is still high for the match on Sunday at Old Trafford.
Wayne Rooney, the all-time leading scorer for Manchester United, is well knowledgeable about competing against and defeating Arsenal.
After all, it was Rooney who was instrumental in ending the Gunners' legendary "Invincible" run back in 2004. The former England star and current head coach of DC United has revealed the unusual strategy that Ferguson frequently used against his former archrival in an effort to gain an advantage ahead of this weekend's matchup.
Arsenal was the only game when Sir Alex Ferguson let the opposition take the initiative, Rooney noted in his essay for The Times. We would sit in a mid-block, shut spaces, be difficult to play through, and strike them on the break since there was nothing we could do to stop them from gaining possession.
"We and I scored the majority of our goals against them in this manner. It's odd because we didn't put as much tactical effort into those games. When we played Arsenal, it seemed as though the players already knew how the game would end and what we needed to do to win."
There were many on-field fights between Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger throughout the years.
Despite the fact that neither Manchester United nor Arsenal have won the title in almost ten years, the Gunners enter the seismic matchup leading the table by a point after a flawless start to the new season.
Despite the fact that neither Manchester United nor Arsenal have won the title in almost ten years, the Gunners enter the seismic matchup leading the table by a point after a flawless start to the new season.
After failing to adjust to life without Wenger, who stood down from his position in 2018, the Londoners have slowly but surely began to re-establish themselves as a strong Premier League team under Mikel Arteta's leadership.
A similar rebuilding task awaits Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. After a disastrous start to life in England, the Dutchman appears to be making progress, but he is aware of the task Arsenal will present to his team going into the game.
Ten Hag said the following during his pre-game press conference: "I've seen Arsenal, a formidable foe. This team has a coach who brings his philosophy to the team, and you can tell that because of how well they have started the season. They are a team that has been together for a longer time.
"So it's a terrific test for us, and I'm eager to take it. We'll start with the appropriate XI. But as you can see, we have a squad in addition to the team.
"The substitutes who were used [against Leicester City] performed admirably. That's good enough for me, and that's what we need to build on."
blogpay
