There's something about today's opponents that seems a little familiar. Oh, that's because there is. The latest installment of the Manchester United-Liverpool rivalry was only two weeks ago, and after Liverpool nabbed a late win at Anfield that day, United are aiming for revenge in the form of a crucial league win at home today.

For all the crisis talk, it hasn't been a bad fortnight for Arsenal. At half time against Villa, we were staring down the barrel of a fourth successive defeat, and an early exit from a competition that was beginning to open up thanks to some high profile ties that we had managed to avoid. Since then, we have seen actual mental strength (as opposed to the professed type that leaves us scratching our heads in disbelief) in that comeback win, a match against Bolton which, while frustrating from a result point of view, was a sharp improvement in performance on those that had come before, and a thumping seven goal win over a Blackburn side that inflicted perhaps our most painful defeat of the season back in September (yes, I count that 4-3 loss as worse than the United hammering).

It's only mid-February but we're already perilously close to what The Flight of the Concords would call 'Business Time'. By that, I don't mean Arsenal football club are going to wine and dine our opponents, and then take them back to the Emirates for some 'business' - I apologise if this is getting a little weird - I mean that we're coming up to the real make-or-break period of the season.

In the past four seasons, Liverpool have played seven games under three managers against Manchester United in the league. Four have been Liverpool victories, two have been won by United, and one has been a draw. And with match number eight coming up on the weekend, it seemed like a good time to look back at some of the statistics beyond the final score from the seven previous games to see if any kind of pattern or omen for Saturday's match appears.

As we showed on Sunday, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made the transition from kicking teammates to slapping opponents. And to prove his new hobby, Zlatan has allegedly done it again already. After the final whistle in Juventus' 2-1 win over Milan in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semifinal, Ibra argued with Juve keeper Marco Storari and, according to Juve defender Giorgio Chiellini, Ibra also gave him a slap.

For many, there has been a belief that in order to get the most out of Charlie Adam he must be played as part of a three-man midfield, alongside players who will be able to cover for his shortcomings and in doing so allow him to do what he does best—break down tough opponents and create scoring opportunities.

Having mastered the art of kicking teammates, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has now moved on to slapping opponents. Zlatan was sent off in the 64th minute of Milan's 0-0 draw against Napoli for reaching around teammate Antonio Nocerino to slap Salvatore Aronica in the face. If the slap is ruled to be a violent gesture, then Ibra will have to serve a three-match ban.

A ruthless ten minute bombardment saw this determined group of United youngsters stun their opponents into submission just before the break at The Liberty Stadium in Swansea on Thursday night. With this tricky looking fixture away from home and key players missing from the squad, the game was far from a foregone conclusion, but an [.

I think it's so ironic how a team that is famous for giving nothing away at home gets upset when decisions don't go their way in away games. When a nailed on pen isn't given to their opponents. Yet when the same happens to them in an away game they spit the dummy. The word shame doesn't seem to exist.

In the preview I wrote, "there will be goals in this game for sure". I don't know how, but both sides managed to keep the ball out of their opponents' nets when scoring would have seemed like the easier option. Arsenal had a lot of chances, very good ones. And they missed them all.

Twitter went mad after the game, as it usually does after a disappointing result I guess.

Now that the January transfer window is closed, clubs are gearing up to be ready for the rest of the season. For promoted clubs in particular, the Premiership adventure has entered the second - and possibly last - half of the season. Whether they will be able to continue their adventure is anyone's guess, but judging from the league table, Norwich and Swansea look to be in a good position to stay up.

Two goals from Fernando Llorente has given Athletic Bilbao a 2-1 first-leg advantage in their Copa del Rey semi-final against giant-killers Mirandes, and seriously dented the Cinderella dreams of the third division team.

Llorente scored twice in the first half to seemingly put Athletic firmly in control of this tie.

Time for a rest?

Midweek Premier League match. Haven't had that in a while. Tonight, Arsenal travel to Bolton looking to capitalise on the yesterday's results. I say results when it's actually only a single result. That of Chelsea's draw away to Swansea. Effectively, they've gained a point over us, both by the result and the fact that we lost ours when we went to Liberty Stadium.

Erlan Mealla's Bolivian wondergoal

If you knew who Erlan Mealla was before seeing this, well, I simply don't believe you. The words "must see" have lost their meaning over the years, but this is must see for anyone that can appreciate a tremendous goal. It comes from the Bolivian Campeonato Clausura, and Erlan, a 23-year-old Nacional Potosi striker, scored a 20-yard scorpion kick that ended up being the match-winner against their opponents who go by "The Strongest" No, really.

After losing 2-1 to the New England Revolution in a preseason scrimmage in Casa Grande, AZ last weekend, FC Tucson head coach Rick Schantz had a funny remark that made its way into the end of the PDL side's press release. "New England looked a bit surprised but they eventually realized we were better than they expected," he quipped.

One of the least edifying spectacles in modern football is that of managers attempting to deflect criticism for a defeat by making spurious attacks on the opponents who beat them.

I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of this phenomenon, having watched our own otherwise distinguished coach, a certain Mr Arsène Wenger, pull the very same trick on numerous occasions.

One of the least edifying spectacles in modern football is that of managers attempting to deflect criticism for a defeat by making spurious attacks on the opponents who beat them.

I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of this phenomenon, having watched our own otherwise distinguished coach, a certain Mr Arsène Wenger, pull the very same trick on numerous occasions.

Football's a simple game. If you score more or concede less than the other side, you win the match. So I thought it would be worth taking a look at which teams have been doing better than their opponents. The simplest way of doing just that is to calculate differentials for the stuff that matters most - goals - and the stuff without which - shots - the stuff that matters most usually doesn't happen.

Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes says that his side cannot afford to drop any more points if they are to successfully defend their La Liga title this season.

Barca were held to a 0-0 draw against Villarreal on Saturday, a result that now leaves them seven points behind league leaders Real Madrid, who recorded a 3-1 win over Real Zaragoza at the weekend.

By CALEB SONNELAND

Despite both sides having punched their tickets to the 2012 London Olympics, bragging rights and a No. 1 seed were on the line when the United States Women clashed with Canada last night.

Thanks to the continued brilliance of Abby Wambach and young gun Alex Morgan, the United States trotted out a 4-0 victory to cap off what has largely been a pedestrian Olympic Qualifying.

Daniel Agger is feeling great after Liverpool's back-to-back Cup wins against Manchester opponents to knock City out of the Carling Cup and United out of the FA Cup but believes that there is plenty of improvement needed ahead.

Agger has always been a vocal critic of the Reds' struggles in recent years and thus, it comes as no surprise that despite scoring a brilliant headed goal to open the scoring in the 2-1 home victory over United, he is not satisfied.

Through the first four games of Olympic qualifying, the United States silenced each of its powerless opponents. On Sunday, it was Canada's time.

The U.S. defense pitched its fifth shutout of the tournament while Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach each netted a pair of goals to give the Americans a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Canada at BC Place in Vancouver.

"No, we're the underdogs."
Ayr v Kilmarnock. An Ayrshire derby in a league cup semi final and nobody wants to be favourites.
No surprise there. Derby games are different. Derby games in cups carry an extra weight. Make it a semi final and you've got a hell of a game on your hands.

The U.S. Women's National Team faced a tougher test than expected, but ultimately the Americans proved too tough for underdog Costa Rica and eventually punched their ticket to the Summer Olympics.

A first-half goal by Tobin Heath gave the U.S. women the lead and despite a courageous fight from the Costa Ricans, the United States held that one-goal lead before Carli Lloyd blasted home a long-range blast in the second half to give the Americans a 2-0 victory in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying semifinals in Vancouver.

The U.S. WNT will play a HUGE match early in year on Friday night, Jan. 27, when it faces Costa Rica in the semifinal of the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Women's Qualifying Tournament for a berth to the London Olympics.
A HIGHLY motivated U.S. team will kick-off the clash with the Central Americans at 5 p.

Photo by Stephen Brashear/ISIphotos.com

They might have been held to single digits on the scoreboard for the first time during the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament, but the U.S. women's national team remains on a roll.

Carli Lloyd netted a hat trick, and the U.

By Chris Wright

There were amazing scenes in Spain last night, where third tier part-timers CD Mirandés beat La Liga side Espanyol 2-1 in injury time at the tiny, 6,000-capacity Anduva Stadium to secure themselves a 4-4 aggregate (away goals) win and a berth in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey in the process.

Photo by Stephen Brashear/ISIphotos.com

The CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament has been a breeze so far for the U.S. women's national team, which has outscored two overmatched opponents by a combined 27-0 margin. Things should be a bit more competitive in Tuesday's final group match.

John Nyen sees parallels

The two managers sit across from each other, both hooked up to the machine. The humming and whirring increases as they are instructed by the lab technician in the white coat.

"Think of your ideal, of what you want your team to become.

Some historical context first.
Back in March, 2004, we were leading United by a single goal at Highbury. As the game entered the final 10 minutes, Arsene put Pascal Cygan (remember him) on for Freddie Ljunberg, in an attempt to sure up our defence and see the game out. Instead, Cygan went AWOL up the field, United pushed forward, and Saha scored a later equalizer to deny us the victory.

So we're back to yet another Cup game. Not the Coupe de la Ligue, that was last week. Not the Coupe de France either, that was the week before. No, wait, that's the Coupe de France again, but the next round. I'm getting confused... The good thing is that Lisandro isn't. He repeated this week that he WANTS to get a trophy with OL this year, and a French Cup, whichever it is, is a good and (normally) not too difficult way to get one.

Liverpool's 3-1 defeat over Bolton Wanderers, apparently gave more than just disappointment for the club's manager, Kenny Dalglish, as he was also infuriated with his player's poor performance and threatened to get rid of those who can't improve their performance.

Dalglish was so furious that he doesn't really want to give much credit for his opponent as he really felt that it was the Reds' poor performance which cause that defeat.

The January friendlies are usually for the hardest of die hards. Being held outside of a FIFA sanctioned window means that player pool is reduced for both sides, and tonight's game isn't against the highest profile of opponents. Venezuela is decent, currently ranked 31st and slightly ahead of the United States by ESPN's Soccer Power Index.

Instead of a preview, I thought I'd look at some classic Arsenal matches against this week's opponents. And when those opponents are Man Utd, there's a lot of games to choose from. So, rather than one game, I thought I'd look at a whole season: 2004-2005. That year, we played United in three games that can genuinely be described as epic (we also opened the season by beating them in the Charity Shield).

Sneaky throw Benfica's Maxi Pereira was eager to launch an attack after winning a throw-in level with opponents Vitoria Setubal's six-yard box. His team-mate Axel Witsel wasn't in any such rush and was happy to take his time while tying his laces. Pereira didn't want to hang around and decided to throw the ball against [.

After enjoying a great run of results against Manchester City in recent years, the last two league games haven't exactly gone our way and although Sunday's opponents have struggled a little in recent weeks, the Etihad will be a tough place to go and get a result.

There is a great belief in this current Spurs side however and Luka Modric is one player who is targeting an upset this time around.

Photo: Paul Rudderow

With the SuperDraft behind us, thoughts now turn to the nitty-gritty of the 2012 Union season. Naturally, questions arise. Over a two-part series we pose ten questions to our Union beat reporter, Eli Pearlman-Storch, which began with a look formation, roster depth and leadership roles within the starting XI in Part 1.

In the wake of Saturday's match against Stoke, much was made of the draw representing a complete tactical failure by Kenny Dalglish and Steve Clarke. The key failure in that larger breakdown was meant to be the deployment of three centre backs in a formation nearly identical to the one which had defeated Stoke at Anfield a year earlier, as in the eyes of many those three centre backs represented an overly defensive approach when facing a club with so little attacking intent.

Match report Video -

If defeat to Man City was as honourable as defeat can be, and defeat to Fulham as good an example of self-implosion as you're likely to see, yesterday's loss to Swansea is one in which we ought not to be churlish straight away and offer congratulations to our opponents for the way they played (in general).

Swansea 3 (Sinclair pen 16, Dyer 57, Graham 70) Arsenal 2 (Van Persie 5, Walcott 69)
(Premiership)

Two weeks ago, the Arsenal fanbase was pretty content. A win over QPR had lifted us back amongst the top four at the turn of the year, a remarkable turnaround given the position we were in after seven games.