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Hurt Arsenal Man U's Stam on guard despite foe's problems up front
Posted: Sunday January 23, 2000 01:38 PM
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -- Jaap Stam may have to mark 18-year-old unknown Shaun Garrett when Premier League heavyweights Manchester United and Arsenal clash at Old Trafford on Monday. But the big United central defender will show Garrett as much respect as he would one of their high-profile strikers. "Arsenal have a few strikers missing but just because of that I don't think we can relax by any means," said Stam. "Even if they play someone who is not a regular first team player he will still have a lot of quality. If you are at a club like Arsenal you are not a bad player." Arsenal's striking problems are so acute that Garrett is likely to partner Thierry Henry up front on Monday. Denis Bergkamp and Marc Overmars are injured, Davor Suker is suspended and Kanu is on international duty in the African Nations Cup. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said United had been given an unfair advantage by enjoying a break in the sun while playing in the Club World Championship in Brazil, where the flopped. He feels that while his team have had to battle their way through Premier League and FA Cup matches, United have been able to take it easy. But Stam disagrees. "People may have thought it was a holiday but I can tell you otherwise. We went out there and worked very hard in training and in the games. "We certainly don't feel like we've had a big rest." Despite the fact that Arsenal will be missing some key players on Monday, Stam expects the game to be one of the toughest of United's league season. "There is a lot of rivalry in this game. That has built up over the past couple of seasons... so we know we are in for a tough match," he said. United is second in the table on 43 points, four points behind leader Leeds United, which has played three games more. Arsenal also has 43 points but has played three games more than United. "It would be a huge blow, of course, not to get a result at Old Trafford but, on the other side, a win or even a draw will give us a belief that we can still fight for the title," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said on Sunday. "Losing would mean United are three points in front of us and have four games in hand. It is hard to imagine them not winning the championship from a position like that," he said. "But I still feel we have enough quality, despite all missing players, to do well. I believe there is a lot more potential in my team that has yet to come out." United striker Dwight Yorke said that a victory in front of 58,000 fans would bolster his team psychologically. "It would be a mental thing and a physical thing if we got the three points," the Tobagan striker said. "That would knock them back, especially with them being one of our closest rivals. "It would also be a huge confidence booster for all of us if we won and it's a game we are all really looking forward to. Arsenal are coming off a really bad result against Leicester, but they will certainly be up for this one and we know that." Yorke indicated earlier this week that he would quit international play with Trinidad and Tobabo if the squad failed to make World Cup 2002.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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