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ARSENAL V MAN UTD – THE KEY POINTS TO VICTORY
Arsenal vs Man United – The Key Points To Victory
Both Arsenal and Manchester United have plenty to prove ahead of their Premier League clash on Sunday.
The Gunners, fresh from Champions League defeat to Olympiacos, need three points to lift some pressure away from under-fire manager Arsene Wenger. Supporters will have seen an increasingly tetchy, hostile Wenger since the mid-week loss; a man who doesn’t want to discuss David Ospina, Petr Cech or any other potentially controversial selection call. Wenger’s annual battle against those who want him out is already here, but victory over Louis van Gaal would provide necessary respite.
Van Gaal is also in a familiar predicament; his side are getting results without playing particularly inspiring football. He continues to intersperse baffling decisions which don’t work (Antonio Valencia at right-back) with baffling decisions which do work (Ashley Young at right-back), making his tenure as frustrating and difficult to judge as his time with other elite European clubs. He oversaw a 2-1 win at the Emirates Stadium last season, but with United heading into the weekend top of the league, a repeat of this result would mean more now than it did then.
The Dutchman will almost certainly stick numbers behind the ball and aim to maintain possession in a stadium where the away side rarely manages to out-Arsenal the occupants. Counter-attacking football won last season’s equivalent fixture, which saw Angel Di Maria and Wayne Rooney lead the charge. The former is now long gone, while an increasing amount of fans may wish the latter follows suit.
As such, both Anthony Martial and Memphis Depay are set to undertake the most important challenges of their short United careers. Martial’s work-rate and directness has impressed so far and it would be right for Van Gaal to instruct him to isolate Nacho Monreal on the left side of Arsenal’s defence. He has the power and relentless ambition to dominate the Spaniard, who needs to maintain his defensive position and receive immediate back-up if he’s to remain comfortable.
Martial’s willingness to contribute across the pitch is showing Depay to be naive. The youngster is playing like someone who, just because he was the Eredivisie top scorer last season, thinks Premier League success will fall into his lap. He’s yet to make a huge statement on the domestic front and needs to strut his stuff in a big game. During the north London trip, Memphis will be key to stopping makeshift left-back Matteo Darmian (or Young if Van Gaal is deceiving us) from overcommitting to challenges when the energetic Arsenal attack hits their stride.
The home side’s play should be filtered through the resurgent Alexis Sanchez. He naturally takes up dangerous positions, but considering the physicality of United’s midfield (pick two of Michael Carrick, Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger), the ball needs to reach him with greater haste.
Although Francis Coquelin provides a protective shield, it’s important he isn’t left outnumbered by an increasingly functional yet somewhat boring United centre. Santi Cazorla, who hasn’t looked totally fit this season, will need to break between the lines to ensure both Coquelin and Sanchez can fulfil their duties.
Wenger must still decide whether he is going to utilise the outright pace of Theo Walcott or interlinking play of Olivier Giroud up front. United’s defence of Chris Smalling and Daley Blind have proven more susceptible to struggling against speed and incisiveness, so Walcott is likely to be preferred. Smalling continues to attack high balls well and Blind has so far answered most questions asked of him during physical battles. He is slow to turn, however, and is prone to leaving spaces open when dealing with players who can accelerate away in an instant.
An intriguing tactical back-and-forth awaits. Both managers know a win will dramatically improve what the newspapers are writing about them. Grabbing the points is far more important than playing breath-taking football—a style Van Gaal knows all too well—but Wenger has more to lose or gain.
As such, we can expect to watch an Arsenal side who are more fired up and ready to compete than we’ve previously witnessed this season. Whether or not that plays into United’s hands remains to be seen.
