Different paths to the top for Arsenal, Manchester United

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11/05/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saturday's 2-2 draw between Arsenal and Manchester United left the clubs tied atop the Premiership standings, and while they have enjoyed similar results this season, the way that the sides have gotten there is quite different.

Both teams have started their Champions League campaigns off with three straight wins and can clinch a spot in the second round of the competition this week, but they have used different strategies to reach this point.

They are two of the most successful clubs in England, both have money to spend, and both have done well with developing players, but while Manchester United has preferred to throw money around in the transfer window to add to its core group of players, Arsenal has taken a different approach.

The Gunners have instead favored youth and development over quick-fix signings and veteran experience.

When the club allowed long-time striker and captain Thierry Henry to leave for Barcelona over the summer, it looked like Arsenal would once again be left to battle for a spot in the Champions League rather than contend for the league title.

Henry was upset that the club was not interested in making any signings over the summer that would add veteran experience. The Frenchman felt that if Arsenal was going to take the next step, then it had to add veteran leadership to a team that had become increasingly reliant on youthful exuberance.

However, Henry left for Spain and all Arsenal has done is go unbeaten in its first 11 Premiership games and join United at the top of the table.

Arsene Wenger's side has thrived despite the absence of Henry because they have always had players who are capable of picking up the slack. Robin Van Persie was brilliant in taking over the role as Arsenal's top scoring threat, until a knee injury sustained while playing for the Netherlands put him on the sideline.

Prior to the ailment, the Dutchman had scored five goals in the team's first seven games, and teamed with Emmanuel Adebayor to form a lethal strike partnership.

Since then, it has been Adebayor who has shouldered the scoring load, netting six goals on the season and getting some help from dynamic midfielder Francesc Fabregas, who shares the team scoring lead with Adebayor and is the key cog in the Arsenal machine.

The trio has more in common then just the ability to score goals. None of the three have yet celebrated their 25th birthday, and all three have seen their careers blossom under the watchful eye of Wenger.

Adebayor joined Arsenal prior to the 2006 season from France, but he was not a well-known commodity or a sure bet to develop into a top-notch striker.

Both Van Persie and Fabregas have been with the London club since the early part of their careers, and have steadily worked their way into the lineup, taking over for the likes of departed veterans Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira.

Arsenal has been patient with its young players over the past couple of seasons, allowing youngsters like Fabregas, Van Persie, Gael Clichy, Mathieu Flamini and Emmanuel Eboue to develop. They have not been serious title challengers in the past few years, but their patience has paid off with a team that looks likely to contend with United and Chelsea over the course of a long season.

For Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United, patience is not a word that is uttered too often around Old Trafford.

Sure, Ferguson has seen his share of young players blossom before his eyes, but he prefers to make the most of the money made available to him for spending on transfers.

Much like free agency in American sports, the transfer window offers soccer teams the ability to turn their fortunes around with one or two big signings.

Ferguson has become a master at identifying young talent at other clubs, and bringing those players to Manchester with huge contracts that the team can afford because it is one of the most popular and wealthiest clubs in the world.

Striker Wayne Rooney was a teenage phenom at Everton before becoming the goal- scoring threat he is today. Cristiano Ronaldo showed flashes of brilliance at Sporting Lisbon before he displayed the ability to become one of the top players in the world last season.

United has had players like Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, who have come up through the ranks and been with the club their entire careers, but they truly rely on spending big bucks for blue-chip talent.

After winning the league title last season, Ferguson still went out and spent millions in the transfer window this summer on Carlos Tevez, Owen Hargreaves, Anderson and Nani.

Arsenal, meanwhile, did not feel compelled to throw cash around, and instead ended up selling longtime Gunners Henry and Fredrik Ljungberg. Wenger has also seen the departure of veterans Ashley Cole and Vieira in recent years, but he has always stuck by his young guns.

Now, those young guns are blossoming and challenging United and its big-ticket items for the league title.

Both are gearing up for lengthy runs in the Champions League, and both are ready for a season-long tussle at the top of the Premiership.

Both teams are also proving that there is more than one road that leads to the top.

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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.

New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).

The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.

Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.

Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.

The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.

Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.

The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.

Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.

However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).

The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.

Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.

In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.

Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.

Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.

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