After the fortnight it has just endured the Football Association is desperately hoping its annual show-piece will this afternoon push the Wembley fiasco, and its chief executive’s indiscretions, to the back of the mind. Unfortunately for all of us it stands to be disappointed.
A meeting of Arsenal and Liverpool, pitting, as it does, Thierry Henry against Sami Hyypia, Steven Gerrard against Patrick Vieira, and Emile Heskey against Tony Adams, ought to be a feast. Add in the tempestuous nature of their rivalry and the passionate atmosphere of the Millennium Stadium, and it should even be worth the jams anticipated on the A48.But recent history is not encouraging. There has not been a decent FA Cup final since 1991 when Tottenham came from behind to triumph against Nottingham Forest despite Gazza crocking his knee. Ominously the worst of the nine subsequent finals was in 1996 when Manchester United’s meeting with Liverpool was as eagerly anticipated as today’s tie. Instead Wembley was bored into a stupor before Eric Cantona’s late goal spared everyone the agony of extra-time.More pertinently Liverpool, this season, have developed the habit of stifling opponents into submission.
A series of dull Uefa Cup ties reached their nadir in Barcelona and the home leg was little better.”They might defend and say ‘break us down’,” Ars? Wenger, the Arsenal manager, said He added: “It could be very tight. The teams are much more evenly matched than in recent finals and there is always the danger when two big teams play that it will not be a good game because they know they have less room to make mistakes.”Arsenal, at least, can be expected to attack. It is Wenger’s way and the team is increasingly better equipped for going forwards than backwards. “There is a responsibility to put on a good performance,” Wenger added. “The final is seen all over the world and promotes the English game.”His players are more pragmatic.
“I don’t care what it looks like as a spectacle,” David Seaman said “It is all about winning. The finals may have been disappointing to watch over the last few years but they haven’t been disappointing for me, I’ve got two winner’s medals. Will it be tight? I’ve not got a clue and I don’t give a damn as long as we win.”Seaman said he will be taking a close look at the re-laid pitch and will also spend time practising with the match ball, a new model which is making its competitive bow. Said to be capable of being propelled at 114mph, and achieving 10 per cent more movement than other balls, it sounds just the ticket to earn a goalkeeper an unwanted place in FA Cup lore.Who will be at the delivery end remains uncertain. G?rd Houllier has confirmed that Heskey will start in attack for Liverpool and Henry will lead the Arsenal line.
But Dennis Bergkamp, who missed the a 1998 final through injury, then wasted a last-minute penalty in the 1999 semi-final, is likely to suffer more FA Cup woe. He played for the reserves in midweek but has been out for several weeks and usually takes a while to regain form. Sylvain Wiltord, who has scored six goals in the tournament, is a more probable choice.For Liverpool, Michael Owen, after six goals in a week, would appear the obvious choice but Robbie Fowler is club captain and he did score a stunning goal at Cardiff in the Worthington Cup final. “I will be totally gutted if I don’t play,” Fowler said.”Only 11 can play,” Houllier responded. “I will pick what I think is the best team to win the match and that means I will leave out a high-profile player I do not find that a difficult decision.
