What can Arsenal expect from Man United?
If Arsenal fans think the performances of their team has been far from satisfactory, then United fans will have no sympathy for their Premier League counterparts.
Despite sitting on six points after three games, Erik Ten Hag’s men have failed to truly convince their fanbase that they are in for a treat this season.
In their opening match against Wolves, United were lucky to take away all three points, as the Wanderers had several opportunities to snatch a win at Old Trafford.
In their second game, Hag’s side were deservedly beaten by Spurs 2-0. Fans from the red side of Manchester would have felt the same nerves when they went 2-0 down against Nottingham Forest inside the opening five minutes.
However, they made a memorable comeback to win 3-2 and climbed up the table to eighth position.
United have been set up in a 4-3-3 formation with Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen occupying the midfield areas.
But with all those players possessing more offensive qualities than defensive, teams have penetrated Ten Hag’s midfield with ease.
And that’s why Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz (if he starts) can come out of the match shining the most.
However, the two things that Mikel Arteta needs to worry about is the Red Devils’ defensive fluidity and counter attacking prowess.
With the addition of Andre Onana from Inter Milan, the Red Devils have taken playing out from the back to a different level. Thus, pressing aggressively for the whole 90 minutes might not do the Gunners any good.
On the other side, United are one of the most dangerous counter-attacking sides, as they have progressed the ball upfield at a rate of 1.81 metres per second, the second-fastest average in the division, sitting behind only David Moyes’ West Ham United.
Considering that in mind, picking up Thomas Partey as a right-back might not be a clever decision because a single positional mistake either by Partey or Ben White can hand Man United with a very good opportunity in front of goal.
Ten Hag’s team possesses the likes of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony and Jadon Sancho, neither of them will have much problem putting one past the keeper if given a single good opening.
Chance creation is also strong suit for the Manchester side, who have generated 55 shots already, including 42 from open play. Only rivals Manchester City and Brighton have boasted more attempts, with Portuguese wizard Fernandes at the heart of most things.
Thus, shutting the supply to him can disrupt a lot of fluidity in United’s attacks. And I see the pair of Partey and Declan Rice doing that with ease.
This derby has always attracted eyeballs, despite the fact that the two clubs were struggling with their identity in recent seasons. A good performance by either one of them will prove that their respective club have indeed taken the next step in their development.
Writer – Yash Bisht