Arsenal vs Sheffield United

Arsenal Sheffield United Courtesy of Arsenal.com Having won so wonderfully at Old Trafford last Sunday, Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal now face the task of building their season upon that foundation stone. In any title-winning campaign, mid-table sides like Aston Villa and Middlesbrough simply have to be beaten when they visit your home ground. However Arsenal found them difficult to break down at Emirates Stadium this term and had to come from behind to force a draw on each occasion. One can expect similar doggedness on Saturday when Sheffield United visit Arsenal. Wenger’s side are so much on a roll as a crest of a wave after victories on the road at Hamburg and Manchester United. But Neil Warnock’s side can leave even the slickest of sides marooned. “I hope the fact we have won the last two games, not only the one at Old Trafford, will help us a lot,” said Wenger. “We want to be more ruthless. I felt that we were not determined enough to force the decision in our previous two home games. What I expect from my team is that we come back with more belief and that belief will be transformed into a sheer determination. “We know that if you want to take the Premiership trophy firstly you must win against everyone at home who is not in the running for the title too. Secondly, you want to win the big games against the contenders who fight for the title. “We have started with the most difficult part but we have not done the first portion of it - to dictate our home form against teams who do not fight for the title. “We have shown we can win against a team who have a go at us but now we have to win against the teams who refuse to take a gamble or a risk. Those teams who sit back and defend.” Arsenal welcome back Thierry Henry, who missed both those victories with a foot complaint, while Robin van Persie also returns after missing Sunday’s game with a hip injury. Wenger is close to 10 years at Arsenal, his opposite on Saturday will be enjoying his 1,000th game as a manager. The Frenchman cut his teeth at top clubs in England and abroad, Neil Warnock has worked his way up with teams like Scarborough, Bury, Plymouth and Notts County. They stand at opposite ends of the footballing spectrum — in career, background and persona — however Wenger paid fulsome tribute to the Sheffield United manager “To make 1,000 games you have to survive many bad periods without giving up,” said the Arsenal boss. “You only can do that if you have desire and motivation. “He has done well to get Sheffield United up there. He is certainly a completely different personality to me but he obviously has the same passion.” Despite Warnock’s fervour, Sheffield United are favourites to go straight back down to the Championship. However they did force a draw with Liverpool on the opening day of the season. Bottom they may be but the Blades are a total reflection of their manager — tough, no-nonsense and resilient. Arsenal badly need to secure their first Premiership win at Emirates and they may have to call on the spirit of Old Trafford to do it.