The Promised Land

AUGUST

A happy, smart Arsène Wenger; imagine! But that was the sight in the Wembley tunnel as United and Arsenal lined up before the 1998 Charity Shield, Wenger positively gushing equilibrium and resplendent in blazer with embroidered cannon, rather than the cartoon car badge that superseded it. And the players looked bang-on too, both jerseys genuine classics: United's the brightest possible red, magnifying the round, hard head of an incredibly taut Roy Keane, bristling with unresolved violence; Arsenal in smart yellow and blue, matching Tony Adams highlights. And all of them, with the exception of Martin Keown, were in black boots, and generally without haircuts and tattoos.

With the enmity between the managers at its delightful, sustained peak, there was not the merest hint of a handshake, Alex Ferguson forcing as relaxed a look as possible for a man exothermic with residual rage. Their rivalry and enmity had been building since Wenger's arrival, just after the start of the 1996-97 season, but at that point, though top of the league, Arsenal weren't considered a threat. Nor were they the following year, until suddenly snatching the title with a murderously poetic, post-January charge that surprised everyone, Fergie in particular, to cement the rivalry that dominated a generation.

The day was properly hot, kick-off brought forward to give United more time to prepare for their Champions League qualifier against LKS Lodz in midweek. As the players emerged, in the commentary box Martin Tyler and Trevor Francis noted their domestic backgrounds; only eight foreigners amongst the 22 starters, 11 of them English. Shortly afterwards began the compulsory discussion of David Beckham and his World Cup slip, Keane laughing as he "introduced" him to the various "dignitaries", while Richard Keys felt authorised to "wish him well on behalf of English football".

With Gary Pallister back at Middlesbrough, Jaap Stam made his debut alongside Ronny Johnsen, and also gone, at very long last, were Karel Poborsky and Brian McClair. In midfield, Nicky Butt partnered Keane, with Paul Scholes pushed further forward to support lone striker Andy Cole - who had played for Arsenal in the 1991 fixture. This was an area in which United were hoping to strengthen, but earlier in the week, Patrick Kluivert - wanted because it was felt that the squad had become too lightweight - had not only rejected a move to the club, but volunteered to sign for Arsenal, who had no interest. He would eventually leave Milan for Barcelona.

Amongst those on the bench was Teddy Sheringham, punished for a first season of missed penalties and misplaced conceit. He'd also managed to fall out with the well-liked Cole, accusing him of playing for personal glory rather than the team, hypocrisy significantly more spectacular than anything he'd accomplished on the pitch. None of this was much appreciated.

"Knowing United are to play Tottenham in the first game of the season, he goes and gives interviews to anyone who'll listen," had thundered Red Issue the previous spring, "slagging off his former club ensuring that a majority rather than a minority will be awaiting his imminent return. A severe shortage of class that one might expect of someone who has spent such a long time in North London but not of Manchester United players. Hopelessly unaware of the enigma that he was effectively replacing, a person who was never one for flaunting his good fortune and always conducted himself with utmost style, our Teddy proceeded to ponce about Deansgate as though he owned the place impressing no one, especially not those who actually recognised him."

But Gary Neville saw things differently. Though few among the support had ever coveted him, he recalled Sheringham as "obviously always interested in moving here", asking about United at England gatherings, and also that "Teddy was one of the toughest players I'd ever played against." Accordingly, he blamed injuries and surrounding incompetence for the state of his first season, but by any standard, it was a risible failure.

While United made do, Arsenal fielded their settled first XI, though a substitutes' bench comprising Bould, Vivas, Wreh, Grimandi and Boa Morte appeared an oversight even then. But the nature and manner of their double win and Wenger's role in it, had already worked the shamanic magic that would last a generation, the Arseweb site noting in its season preview that "a sizeable proportion of fans retain an almost blind faith in the Frenchman's ability to bring on the younger players".

Almost straight from the kick-off, a bristling Nicolas Anelka worried Stam down the inside-right channel, a threat he just about handled, but with the minimum of fun. Then, before two minutes had elapsed, Keane announced his return from injury by charging in late on Marc Overmars, downed again seconds later by Gary Neville, who was subsequently booked. Keane registered his protest with characteristic chopping arm, the signifier of middling fury, and to illustrate it further, allocated a whack to Patrick Vieira shortly afterwards.

But otherwise United started the livelier, the sumptuously curled Ryan Giggs the main prompt and the darting interplay between Scholes and Cole looking promising. Surprisingly, it took a full ten minutes for the Arsenal end to get after Sheringham with a taunt of "Oh Teddy, Teddy, went to Man United and he won fuck-all."

While the baiting continued, Anelka eased away in pursuit of another long ball, without contravening the purity of the Wenger philosophy - in those days about beauty not intricacy. Johnsen, like Stam, was able to keep up, and when he won possession United broke, Emmanuel Petit motoring into a brilliant, saving challenge on Butt just inside the left corner of the box after good work from Giggs.

Oddly, given the relationship between the teams and early aggression, it took until the 22nd minute for the next bad tackle to arrive, Keown's red boots sending Scholes flying. Not before he'd turned a pass around the corner for Cole, but a trigger-happy Graham Poll had already stopped play.

Next, Overmars isolated Stam on the left-wing, who stood up as long as possible before diving in when it appeared his man had vanished, winning the ball cleanly with a perfectly-timed challenge. And though it took him a while to settle at Old Trafford, the man Dick Advocaat declared to be "the defender of the future" showed plenty by way of explanation, even in the early weeks; obviously shy of his best, he still clearly knew his business.

The longer the half wore on, the longer it became evident that United were playing more on the fly than off the cuff, while Arsenal, a settled, confident side, knew exactly what they were doing, far more threatening despite enjoying less possession. Or in other words, they were a team, not just a collection of like-minded individuals.

But United still hinted menace. After Denis Irwin was booked for a late slide on Dennis Bergkamp, Giggs appeared on the right, weaving away to find Scholes who was wrongly given offside. But the pass, one that eliminated Keown and Lee Dixon, was another sign of the late-developer's brain that became his principal asset in middle age. The potential to turn a weakness into a strength, a rarity in any context, had first suggested itself against Middlesbrough in October 1995 when he moved into midfield after Keane was sent off, and then again against Porto in March 1997, but was still at least half a decade from maturity.

During the teams' previous meeting, Gary Neville had managed to hide at centre-back whilst Overmars deconstructed John Curtis, but now, back on the right, he escaped for only 27 minutes. Eventually, Overmars sought him out, enticing him in before skipping and turning away, and though Keane was on hand to limit the embarrassment, that would not be the end of it. "I can't wait for this to fucking end," he told Beckham sometime between roastings.

Quiet hitherto, Bergkamp then announced himself, creating a yard of space and firing a low shot that forced Schmeichel into the game's first serious save, low to his right, before, a minute later, Arsenal went ahead. Pausing from filling and emptying his cheeks, Nigel Winterburn hit a crossfield pass for Ray Parlour, who turned inside and found Vieira. Given time and space, he lifted a ball over the top and deep into the United box on its right-hand side, to where Bergkamp and Anelka were gathered, the former back-heeling into the stride of the latter from close to the by-line, Stam caught behind him and rendered useless. But Johnsen, left standing initially, recovered well before slipping into a clearance that clipped the persevering Anelka - how curious those words now seem - and the ball rolled towards Overmars on the other side of the box. Retreating a little, he sprung into a thumping shot that scorched high past Schmeichel to his left.

At the break, Bergkamp was replaced by Christopher Wreh, the previous season's fiddler of crucial goals. News of the change was communicated by way of manual board, with no adverse consequences.

The second half started fairly slowly, Giggs sent infield before Solskjær came on for Butt and he returned to the left. Then, Overmars, his mere presence reducing Gary Neville to a quivering, convulsing melt, picked up possession well inside his own half and zoomed 40 yards along the left touchline, Neville backing off yet still unable to keep up, slipping as he dipped inside onto his right foot. Sliding the ball square in the same step, the benefit of a feetballer as opposed to just a footballer, Overmars also lost Stam, over to assist, and found Anelka who, on the turn, immediately transferred to Wreh,...