LOOKING AHEAD: ARSENAL vs MANCHESTER UNITED

"It is a special fixture because usually Man United are always fighting at the top. It has an even bigger meaning now because there are three points between the teams, and we play at home in a big game.”-Arsene Wenger.

 

Right, no time for mopping about after more European woes as next up is Manchester United at the Emirates. After a difficult run of six games in 18 days that has so far culminated in two wins against Spurs in the Capital One Cup and Leceister in the league, and defeats away to Dinamo Zagreb, Chelsea and Olympiacos; a blockbuster clash against United could not have been more ill-timed. The feel-good factor in the aftermath of our 5-2 win at Leceister and Alexis Sanchez’ spectacular hat-trick has since dissipated into the abyss, in its place an all-too familiar feeling of frustration following a complete debacle in a supposedly “must-win” game against Olympiacos. United, by comparison, have won their last three league games on the bounce, scoring nine, a run that has seen them leapfrog City to top the league for the first time in about two years. Three points and two places separate the sides going into the latest installment of Arsenal vs Manchester United, and although this is a clash that has perhaps seen the gloss taken off of it since the years of Roy Keane vs Patrick Vieira, it still is Arsenal vs United with three massive points and the league’s top spot at stake.

The Gunners will be looking light in midfield after the manager confirmed Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini will not recover in time for Sunday, and Laurent Koscielny will be out for at least three weeks following a hamstring injury sustained in midweek. Fortunately, Francis Coquelin “should be okay for Sunday” while Gabriel will be available for selection having served his one-game suspension for improper conduct. United manager Louis van Gaal in his midweek press conference noted that Michael Carrick is fit and ready to play, and the away side have no fresh injury worries following their midweek win over Wolfsburg.

“Arsenal are technically and tactically the best team in the league.”-Louis van Gaal.

Last season’s corresponding fixture ended 2-1 in favour of the away side, and the game went as per script for an away side at the Emirates… concede possession, absorb pressure and hit hard on the break, and so they did. There have been suggestions that this season’s game will not follow the same pattern, as United’s summer acquisitions of Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger have seen them dominate possession in their fixtures thus far. Indeed, United have made 3,942 passes this season. Only one side has made more- yes, that’s us. United under LvG however favour slower, deliberate and more methodical build-up play, preferring to keep possession and pass it sideways and backwards while waiting for moments to spring forward and create chances. Arsenal meanwhile will dominate play, dominate possession in the opposition half, but have looked more dangerous and fluid in the final third. Arsenal are, in fact, the most “dangerous” side in the league, having created more chances (115) and taken more shots on goal (140) than any other club. United, in case you’re interested, have created just 56 goal-scoring chances-less than half Arsenal’s tally- and taken 80 shots on goal. The league’s most creative player, at least in terms of chances created, has been Mesut Ozil with 26. The league’s second-most creative player? Santi Cazorla, with 25. For the purpose of comparison, United’s most creative outlet has been Juan Mata with 11 chances created.

But here’s where it starts to go south for Arsenal- we have scored just 10 goals from our 148 shots on goal, meaning we convert one in every FIFTEEN shots. That is simply not good enough for a title-chasing side. United have scored 12 goals from 80 shots, which works out at one goal for every 7 shots taken, and a conversion rate twice as good as ours. Should United and LvG choose to make this a more evenly balanced match in terms of possession, it will likely result in an attritional battle for the midfield where goal-scoring chances will thus be at a premium. There simply will not be any margin for error for either side. United also come into this one with the best defensive record in the league, and while most choose to give credit to the unorthodox centre-back pairing of Chris Smalling and Daley Blind, it has as much to do with the protection afforded ahead of them by Morgan Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger. The pair have combined for 25 tackles and 33 interceptions, and Cazorla and Ozil will really have to be on song to dominate United’s midfield.

Luke Shaw’s unfortunate leg break necessitated a defensive re-shuffle for United, who have fielded regular RB Darmian at LB and brought in Antonio Valencia at RB. Naturally you would think that Arsenal will look to target Valencia, who has acquitted himself admirably at RB before, but following the Ecuadorian’s mistake which led to the concession of a goal so early in their midweek game LvG might opt for the more natural Marcos Rojo at LB and reinstate Darmian to his regular RB role… time will tell. United, meanwhile, will have watched Jamie Vardy exploit Per Mertesacker’s lack of pace and mobility last weekend and will be licking their chops at the prospect of Martial or Memphis Depay getting isolated one-on-one with the BFG. You would like to think that Bellerin and/or Coquelin will do more to shield Mertesacker, but we can only hope that lessons have been learnt.

“The anticipation and the expectation is obviously big. We just want to prove ourselves and get the three points. When you prove yourself against big teams, your self-belief increases.”-Mesut Ozil.

Right, let’s hope I will not be writing my second rant in a week after this one. That’s not too much to ask is it?

*Quotes courtesy of Arsenal Media and Goal.com*