The Premier League clash between Arsenal and Manchester United on Wednesday inevitably brought back bad memories for Fabien Barthez.
Making people forget the legend Peter Schmeichel was not easy. Arriving in the summer of 2000 in the wake of the Blues' coronation at the Euro, Fabien Barthez will have met the expectations placed on him during the first season, concluded with an English champion title. What followed was much more complicated. The following season, he made several blunders and precipitated the loss of his family.
A few weeks after having already been at fault during a Derby of England won by the Reds at Anfield against Manchester United (3-1) by missing his intervention on a long touch from John Arne Riise, Fabien Barthez will thus experience a real ordeal on the Highbury lawn. If he can't do anything about the Gunners' first goal scored by Freddie Ljungberg, the French goalkeeper makes two huge mistakes against Thierry Henry.
Fabien Barthez, guilty of middle fingers
On the first, the former Marseillais completely misses his clearance and gives the ball to his teammate in the French team, who does not hesitate to adjust it. On the second, a few minutes later, the native of Lavelanet let the ball slip under his stomach while he was out in front of the Blues striker. The latter did not ask for time and scored the break goal. If Alex Ferguson takes care not to push his goalkeeper, the English press goes wild.
“Barthez goes off the rails”, “Barthez back in the land of blunders”, “Lamentable Barthez”…
These are some of the headlines in the English daily newspapers the day after this “disaster class”. “The Barthez fiasco is just a bad joke. If you're wondering why United seem so fragile and less dominant this season, look no further than Barthez's bald head. writes the Mirror.
And the press is all the more scathing with the French goalkeeper as he was also seen giving two middle fingers to Arsenal supporters. Fabulous Fab is not so fabulous anymore…
