|
|
 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Gallic flair FA Cup final provides battle of two French managers
LONDON (Reuters) -- Saturday's FA Cup final is one of the biggest occasions in British sport, but this year the savoir-faire of two French managers could play a key role. Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger and Liverpool's Gerard Houllier have all but transformed their respective clubs, both in the way they play and the success they have been able to achieve. Wenger, who joined in 1996 and guided Arsenal to the Cup and Premier League double in 1998, has added Gallic flair and a flowing game to a club which once stood for defensive graft and snatched opportunities. Although Arsenal did enjoy domestic success under former manager George Graham, and lifted the European Cup Winners Cup in 1994, it has taken Wenger to build a side that can finally hold its own in the Champions League. Liverpool, a world-beating club in the 1970s and 1980s, have arguably a bigger debt to Houllier. After winning the old first division title in 1990, the Reds had only two trophies to show for the rest of a bitterly disappointing decade, a 1992 FA Cup and a 1995 League Cup. However, since Houllier arrived in 1998, initially sharing duties with Roy Evans, the Anfield faithful have seen a return to the fluid, passing game of the past and the welcome signs that the old prestige is on the way back. Serious threatIf only in bursts, Liverpool have posed a serious threat to Manchester United's domination of the Premier League and this season, as in yesteryear, they are bidding to lift trophies both at home and in Europe. Already League Cup winners, a third final beckons after Saturday's trip to Cardiff when they face Spanish club Alaves in the UEFA Cup final. They could even yet qualify for next season's Champions League. Despite the similarities, Saturday's French connection also belies some important differences in the way Wenger and Houllier have put together their teams. Arsenal have a distinctly French flavor. The side rely heavily on the towering presence of Patrick Vieira in midfield and the finishing of striker Thierry Henry. Robert Pires, Sylvain Wiltord and Gilles Grimandi fill the gaps inbetween, while many predict a return from Barcelona of Emmanuel Petit. Houllier has built his team around a young British core -- in Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher, Danny Murphy and Robbie Fowler -- plus a solid wedge of German experience in Markus Babbel, Dietmar Hamann and Christian Ziege. Though both sides can adapt their tactics from game to game, Arsenal tend to make more use of the flanks and like to get behind their opponents' back four. Liverpool deadlyLiverpool are deadly when running straight at the penalty area, capitalizing on Owen's pace, Emile Heskey's strength on the ball and shooting ability, and Fowler's goal sense. Both sides relish creative, attacking football, a point Wenger highlighted in his team's semifinal victory over arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur. "I'm proud of my team and proud to have made it to the FA Cup final again for the second time in four years," he said. "We created chance after chance but missed them all until the last 15 minutes." But he added: "The players who missed chances did not let it affect them. They simply kept on creating more until we made one count." But Houllier is convinced his team can spike Arsenal's guns. "It will be my first Cup final as Liverpool manager and it will be a great occasion for our fans," he said. "It's not going to be easy because Arsenal are a strong team. But if we perform, then on our day we are capable of beating anybody."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
