Ferguson plays familiar mind-games with Gunners

THERE were drastically conflicting moods at the Premiership summit yesterday.

Arsenal preferred to keep a cool counsel, with little comment save for hopes that talismanic midfielder Patrick Vieira’s injury aggravated against Manchester United on Wednesday night is not season ending. Indeed the Frenchman offered hope that he will be available for the home game with Leeds on Sunday, May 4.

Things were not so serene at Old Trafford where Alex Ferguson launched another verbal tomahawk towards the Gunners, warning them to consider their own conduct before accusing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of feigning injury. The Scot is livid at suggestions Solskjaer tried to make the most of the elbowing incident which saw Sol Campbell sent off in the latter stages of Wednesday’s controversial 2-2 draw at Highbury.

Campbell pleaded his innocence immediately and Arsenal have already lodged an appeal with the Football Association, which is likely to be determined next week.

However, with referee Mark Halsey apparently happy with his decision, it seems unlikely it will be overturned, leaving Campbell staring at a four-game ban which will rule him out of the title run-in and next month’s FA Cup final with Southampton.

Ferguson though is not that easily appeased. “The thing that angers me most is that all of a sudden, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a villain. The Arsenal players are attacking him verbally and Thierry Henry apparently had a punch at him. I can’t believe that reaction,” he said yesterday.

“They should be looking at their own players before turning on ours because the very least you can say is that Sol was silly. It was quite clear on television that he has looked round to see where Ole is and has hit him with his elbow.

“Ole is one of the best professionals in the game. He is respected by everyone.”

However he did concede that Arsenal do not necessarily have the easier run-in, as he quickly claimed in the aftermath of the midweek dramatics at Highbury.

“We have Blackburn and then Tottenham and Everton away with a home game against Charlton in between,” he said. “I thought it looked really difficult, but we are helped by the form my team is in at the moment.

“Then you look at Arsenal’s programme and they have to play Southampton, who won’t want to lose because it is a rehearsal of the FA Cup and Bolton and Leeds who both need results.

“They have a very difficult game tomorrow as well at Middlesbrough, so maybe it’s not as easy as I first thought.”

The champions cause will no doubt be helped if Vieira can recover from the ongoing knee problems which he sustained in the Champions League match with Roma on March 11.

Tests conducted yesterday have given the Frenchman cause for optimism. “I was worried,” he admitted “It is disappointing to only play half an hour in a game as big as Manchester United. An x-ray did not show anything too bad. So I am hoping it will be only two weeks before I can come back to the team.”

Meanwhile, Arsène Wenger will be offering Dennis Bergkamp another year’s contract.

“I have already made up my mind,” said Wenger. “He is a fantastic player and always gives his best. So I want Dennis to stay here for another year and finish his career here. He said he wants to stay as well.”