Arsenal VS Manchester United
Saturday (02/12/2017)
18:30 (WAT)
It may no longer have the same prestige it once did - even so, Arsenal against Manchester United has the capability to be the best Premier League match this weekend.Saturday (02/12/2017)
18:30 (WAT)
Both teams have been in excellent form and are just four points apart in the Premier League table. But which team goes into the game in the stronger position?
Sportsmail has decided to run the rule over the two sides across a number of categories ahead of the game.
Defence
Arsenal may be fourth in the league but five teams below them in the table have conceded the same number or fewer goals this campaign. But, after letting in 16 in their first 11 games, it seems as though the trend is changing. They have not conceded in their last three Premier League games. Part of that comes down to being able to call on the same back-line, Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi and Nacho Monreal, who are becoming an efficient three in defence. It belies their recent history.
Manchester United have let in the least goals out of every team in the top flight, at eight, even less than leaders City. But they have not had the same joy as Arsenal have. Injuries have been a problem for Jose Mourinho. His first choice, Phil Jones, was taken out of action while on international duty with England. That is reflected in the two goals they conceded against Watford in mid-week. But Victor Lindelof has improved after a difficult start in England, Chris Smalling is in better form and the return of Marcos Rojo has been a boost.
Midfield
Last season, Arsenal came across a way to provide a solid base for their more creative players. Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey have established them as the first choice options in centre-midfield, a vast improvement on pairings that came before, while roving wing-backs Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac offer dynamism and genuine threat out-wide. While they may be lacking in steel at points, and Xhaka is less of a defensive midfielder than most assume, they now have a midfield to compete.
Mourinho has spent his last two summers reconstructing United's once-ailing midfield. In Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba, he has one of the best midfield pairings in the country. The two are physically robust while Pogba is incredibly gifted with the ball at his feet. He can have a huge impact going forward while knowing Matic will cover for him. Out-wide, Antonio Valencia has continued to impress, while Ashley Young is going through a career renaissance that John Travolta post-Pulp Fiction would be proud of. They can boss the middle of the park.
Attack
They may no longer want to be at the club but Arsene Wenger was right - Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil will keep performing. Ozil managed a sensational double assist and goal in the space of four minutes against Huddersfield, while Sanchez has two in his last two games. And up front, they have options aplenty. Alexandre Lacazette keeps scoring. Olivier Giroud is the Premier League's best super sub. Danny Welbeck will be desperate to play against his former side, and he has a knack of scoring against them too.
Romelu Lukaku immediately justified United's huge outlay on him with seven goals in his first eight games. His form, however, has tapered off massively and he has just one in his last six Premier League games. It might be that Mourinho turns to Zlatan Ibrahimovic for this one, although that would be a risk after so long out for the Swede. Behind them, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford have impressed recently, but Henrikh Mkhitaryan is struggling for form and few others seem to be involved.
Tactical approach
Arsenal have become increasingly flexible after years of sticking rigidly to a 4-2-3-1 system. Even so, Wenger seems to have reasonably decided that his best chance of success comes in a 3-4-3. As mentioned before, it gives their team a firm base for the attacking players to flourish. Sanchez and Ozil do not have to track back to the same extent as they would in other systems, and that just lets them attack with energy. It works well.
Like the Gunners, United have a number of systems up their sleeve. But they use different formations with more regularity, making it more difficult to anticipate how they will line up against Arsenal. As a rule, Mourinho tends to match up teams with three at the back, suggesting he will go with the same outlook that beat Watford. They were devastating going forward in that game - a warning for Arsenal.
Managers
It's fair to say Arsene Wenger has been criticised over the last few seasons. It feels like there has been a slight change in attitude at the Emirates recently. He's shown a flexibility in approach and philosophy that was previously lacking. And three clean sheets on the spin is so un-late-2000s Wenger it might as well be a tough-tackling central midfielder with a fistful of trophies in each hand. Also seems to have got over his Mourinho hoodoo, having not lost to him at all last season. Kudos for the change.
On the other hand, Jose Mourinho has generally been well-loved since he rocked up at Old Trafford in the summer of 2016. While last season had its ups and downs, he did manage to win the League Cup and the Europa League and secure a return to the Champions League. He will really be judged on whether he can turn United into title contenders. This season will be a stretch - City are just too good.
Managers
It's fair to say Arsene Wenger has been criticised over the last few seasons. It feels like there has been a slight change in attitude at the Emirates recently. He's shown a flexibility in approach and philosophy that was previously lacking. And three clean sheets on the spin is so un-late-2000s Wenger it might as well be a tough-tackling central midfielder with a fistful of trophies in each hand. Also seems to have got over his Mourinho hoodoo, having not lost to him at all last season. Kudos for the change.
On the other hand, Jose Mourinho has generally been well-loved since he rocked up at Old Trafford in the summer of 2016. While last season had its ups and downs, he did manage to win the League Cup and the Europa League and secure a return to the Champions League. He will really be judged on whether he can turn United into title contenders. This season will be a stretch - City are just too good.
Recent trophies
Both sides tasted silverware last season. Arsenal picked up the FA Cup, the third time in the last four seasons that they have won England's major cup competition. But success elsewhere is still sparse, and they are keen to win something more substantial in the near future.
United on the other hand picked up the League Cup, which would represent a poor return on a huge summer of investment. Mourinho changed tack and focused on the Europa League, winning it and earning a place in this year's Champions League. It also completed United's trophy cabinet as the only trophy they were yet to win.
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