Matthew Peters
Ryan Giggs scoffed at the suggestion Manchester United will be underdogs when they face Premier League leaders Arsenal tomorrow.
Although Arsenal go to Old Trafford eight points ahead of United, Giggs seemed affronted at the idea that David Moyes’s side would start the game as second-best.
“ Manchester United against Arsenal at Old Trafford and we’re underdogs? I wouldn’t say we were underdogs. They’ve had a good week, beating Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund, so confidence is high in their camp.
“I take the point that Arsenal are probably the form team and it’s going to be a tough game. You know what you’re going to get. They’re going to keep the ball, they’ve got plenty of quality and in good form.
“We’ve not started the season as well as we wanted to and Arsenal have, so we’ll go into the game knowing we need a good performance. But at Old Trafford we’re always confident that, no matter who we're playing, we can beat them.”
Giggs agreed that tomorrow’s encounter has regained its significance after almost a decade in which Arsene Wenger’s side have not been genuine title contenders.
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“When Arsenal come to Old Trafford it’s always a big game,” said Giggs, now combining playing with a coaching role at United.
“ Over the years there have been some juicy meetings . With the start they’ve had, they’re top of the league and everyone is looking at this game as an important one.
“Arsenal have always had the class to produce good performances. But we’re finding a bit of form, we’re unbeaten in eight games now, so everyone is looking forward to it.
“I think this season they have added a bit of steel, they’re not giving many goals away.”
But Giggs said the current Arsenal side had a long way to go before they could be compared to the Double-winning team of 1997-98.
Giggs rates the team that included Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit, Marc Overmars and Nicolas Anelka, as the most formidable Arsenal side he faced.
“They just had a bit of everything,” he added. “Quality with Bergkamp, pace with Anelka and Overmars, the experience of the back four then the toughness of Vieira and Petit in midfield.
“You could make an argument for Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ of 2003-04 and Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea team. But for me, the battles with that ’98 team were the toughest I’ve faced.”
Ryan Giggs was speaking at the launch of a three-year partnership between Manchester United and Bulova, the club’s official timekeeper.
Source/Mirror Football
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