Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is weary about his side’s chances of overcoming Sheffield United this weekend, claiming they have been unlucky in their recent results.
The Blades currently occupy 19th in the Premier League table thanks to three straight losses, and are the only remaining team that is yet to score a goal.
Sheffield United will now face the tough test of coming to the Emirates this Sunday, and Arteta claims that they have been unlucky in their recent endeavours, and will not be taking them lightly.
The Spaniard was asked his opinion on Sheffield United’s tactical innovation by Arsenal Media, to which he replied: “Incredible. I start to analyse his team two years to understand some of the things he was doing and I think him and the coaching staff have done a really, really good job.
“Not just for the way the play because it is a very clear style, but for the culture they have created around the club and this feeling that you can sense around the team and how they compete. I think it is remarkable what they have done.
“I was told by someone that we had to have a look at them, and I always like to see different trends, different ways of playing, formations, structures, patterns, and I was impressed with some of the things they were doing. It is always good to have this information.”
On their recent results and threat to our team, Arteta added:
“The margins in the league of winning, drawing and losing are really small and the details are crucial, but they have generated big chances every game and they’ve been really unlucky in my opinion not to get anything out of those games,” he said.
“We have experience of playing against them both in the Premier League and in the FA Cup so we know how difficult it is to play against them.
“The season they had, the way they have evolved as a team since they joined the Premier League has been unbelievable, the work that the manager has done with the coaching staff with the resources they have is remarkable. We need to be really alert and we have to play at our best again.”
We will also have to dust ourselves off after suffering our first defeat of the season on Monday, when losing 3-1 away to Premier League champions Liverpool, but have had the pleasure of eliminating the same team from the Carabao Cup on Thursday to boost morale somewhat.
This game should be ours to lose however, and I hope that the manager doesn’t set his side up with too much respect given to our opponents.
Have the Blades been unlucky thus far? Will the manager be able to allow his players to lay with freedom as we look to overcome a sturdy and organised Sheffield United side?
Patrick
I expect us to ride past Sheffield United easily if Arteta does not deploy defensive formation
Whatever the system, Gabriel must start as he has the physical presence to cope with Utd at set pieces, where they are dangerous..I thought he was excellent at Liverpool and should be a fixture in the team.