Giggs must rise again

Man Utd's Ryan Giggs finds his aim is not true

By Phil McNulty Chief football writer

If ever Manchester United needed Ryan Giggs back to his best, it is now, starting against Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

The Welsh winger has been off colour for most of this campaign and he was left red-faced to the extreme after his embarrassing miss against Arsenal.

Not only did Arsenal go on to knock United out of the FA Cup in that game, but some used the win to signal more evidence of a power shift in English football from Old Trafford to Highbury.

United have been the dominant force in the Premiership for the last decade and the wizardry of Giggs, as much as any player, helped establish their stanglehold.

My advice to Ryan should be to get back to work and forget about it

Ronny Rosenthal

But his loss of form this season has seen a section of the fans turn against him.

And, the level of his importance can be gauged the his fall from grace is coinciding with United currently struggling to hold onto and justify their number one mantle.

But the nature of football gives Giggs the chance to redeem himself on the pitch - and he has plenty of motivation to do so.

After his miss, even former Israel striker Ronny Rosenthal delivered his condolences.

Rosenthal's comments were probably made with a sense of relief - because someone had finally topped his famous miss for Liverpool at Aston Villa in 1992.

Ryan Giggs' miss of the week

And least Rosenthal could claim he hit part of the target, striking the crossbar when presented with an open goal, while Giggs only found the Stretford End.

"My advice to Ryan should be to get back to work and forget about it."

Rosenthal admits it's no laughing matter for Giggs

The moment when Giggs lifted the ball over the gaping goal and missed the chance to give United a 1-0 lead against their arch-rivals was liberally sprinkled with irony.

Giggs scored the wonder goal in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal at Villa Park that was the catalyst for United's historic treble, when they also claimed the title and the Champions League.

The moment he was off target on Saturday could be just as seminal for the Gunners.

Match report: Man Utd 0-2 Arsenal

It may prove to be the moment when the balance of power in British football officially shifted to north London - and set Arsenal on the way to a treble that is currently United's unique property.

But if Giggs can rediscover the type of match-winning form of recent past, he could still come back to haunt the Gunners by helping United to Champions League or League success.

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