By Myles Palmer
Sunday morning, I’m feeling optimistic.
Leeds v Arsenal at 4pm on Sky 1 could be an entertaining game with three goals and no red cards.
Unusually,maybe the first time in six years, Arsene Wenger has put pressure on the referee on the day of a game.
He has said that strict card-waving refs are killing the game.He says pro refs have become too strict.
That is something I always feared would happen. I was never convinced that professional refs would be better refs.
But Arsene is right. The referees have often been terrible this season. In so many Premiership games, not just Arsenal games.
Today’s ref is Mark Halsey.
Arsene told the Sunday reporters that he doesn’t think think referees go into games with preconceived ideas.
He hopes Halsey will not read the papers before the game.
“Otherwise, he will think, `What’s happening here?’ He will expect an explosion at any minute.
“A referee usually goes into a game like this and thinks, `The first foul, I have to be really sharp to calm everybody down, even if nothing happens’.
“That’s why I hope he just goes into this game like any other. Sometimes, referees get themselves into a bad situation because they react very early in the game.
“They set the standard with a yellow card for minor fouls. After that, they are in a situation where they cannot cope without giving yellow cards.
“That’s why experience teaches you to get the temperature of a game before you make any decision. And sometimes, I feel, referees react a bit too early.”
Arsenal will win because they are technically superior to Leeds.
Also, they may defend deeper, even though Viduka and Fowler don’t have killer pace.
If Arsenal are winning after an hour you might not see Luzhny going on that overlap run to support Pires as he did against Liverpool last Sunday.
Oleg might think, “Go on your own my son, I’ll stay back here. If you lose the ball, we are still 1-0 up.”
Bergkamp has a lot to prove after flopping at Spurs, where he was partnered by Wiltord. He gave Arsenal nothing in that 1-1 draw.
Leeds are now suffering from an accumulation of woes over the past year.
Two court cases. Terrible publicity. Rio Ferdinand has been out injured. Australia’s World Cup play-offs. Harry Kewell is now injured again. FA Cup exit at Cardiff with a pitch invasion and a storm of negative publicity.Alan Smith suspended for five games after losing last week’s FA appeal.
No team can endure all that and be as harmonious and confident as it was before.
Leeds need to put a run together and they could base that run on a victory over Arsenal.
But since Man United have now won eight Premiership games in a row, Arsenal need to keep up by winning today.
If Richard Wright plays well in his comeback game, Arsenal can keep a clean sheet.
Keown will stick to Viduka like glue.
Campbell is running quickly, jumping well, tackling sharply, and trying to improve his passing.
If Leeds score it will be from Viduka playing in Fowler or Bowyer – he is a slick target man who can find colleagues with clever short passes and flicks.
Arsene knows which player threatens Arsenal.
He said, “We will certainly have to keep Robbie Fowler quiet because he is an intelligent player and he can score a goal from nothing.”
If the match does flare-up today it will probably be in the five minutes after Arsenal score the first goal.
20th January 2002.