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Arsenal seeks title in FA Cup final
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-05-20 09:34

Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira is sure of this: His team is better than the one that captured the Premier League title last year without losing a game.

That's a strong endorsement, yet Arsenal will be left without a title this season if it loses the FA Cup final to Manchester United on Saturday.


Arsenal's Robin Van Persie, left, rounds keeper Jens Lehmann to score during a training session at Arsenal training ground at Colney near London Wednesday May 18, 2005. Arsenal play Manchester United in the FA Cup Final in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff Wales, Saturday May 21. [AP]

"The way we have played this year, I think we deserve to win a trophy," Vieira said. "We have played fantastic football this season, better even than last year. We have taken it to a different level."

Vieira was one of the stars on a team that put together a record run of 49 unbeaten league games, including all 38 in last season's Premier League. This season, Chelsea won the title by 12 points, losing just once and winning a record 29 times.

"We did not win the Premiership and we are not in the Champions League final, so the only trophy left for us is the FA Cup," Vieira said.

He insists Arsenal is stronger on attack but has been hurt by mistakes on defense.

"We have created more chances and scored more goals, we have improved a lot," he said. "But defensively, we have to do a bit more. Everybody has to work more if we want to do well in the Champions League and against the big clubs."

Arsenal's unbeaten streak ended in October with a 2-0 loss at Manchester United, sparking a run of one win in six games.

And the Gunners' title defense in effect ended in February when United won the return game 4-2, helping Chelsea extend its first-place lead.

Now Manchester United and Arsenal meet again, with the loser set to end the season without a trophy. United is aiming to stretch its record of FA Cup wins to 12 while the Gunners are in the final for the fourth time in five seasons.

Vieira's midfield matchup with United's Roy Keane may be the key at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

"He's a really important player for Manchester United," Vieira said. "I feel I'm a really important player for Arsenal and both players will want to win the game."

Although Thierry Henry will be absent because of injury, players like Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robin van Persie and Dennis Bergkamp could turn the final into a showpiece.

But the key players may be in the heart of midfield. Provided, that is, they stay on the field for 90 minutes. Vieira and Keane have notorious reputations.

"I'm ready for anything," said Vieira, chasing his third FA Cup final triumph. "Would I mind if he said anything else to me? I wouldn't mind at all."

But Keane, who already has four FA Cup winners' medals and two as a runner-up, questioned the notion that his rivalry with the tall Frenchman will decide the game.

"It's not just one versus one," Keane said. "The game is all about 11 versus 11."

Both teams enter the final facing distractions.

United has a new owner in Malcolm Glazer, who last week bought a 75 percent interest in the club even though he has never been to England to see it play. Fans have threatened to demonstrate at the final in protest of the takeover by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' owner.

Arsenal's preparation has been affected by a league disciplinary hearing into accusations that Chelsea tried to hire defender Ashley Cole. Cole and his agent met with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and Blues chief executive Peter Kenyon in January. Clubs are not allowed to talk to players contracted to other teams, and the Premier League promised a decision June 1.



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