Arsenal v Manchester United: 8 Observations

TotalArsenal

If Arsenal thought they could do a friendly against the red Mancs in which they could experience and express themselves freely, they were sorely mistaken. Ten Hags’ MU were not going to be humiliated and treated this game as such: nasty fouls that could have easily led to injuries, sitting deep and playing us on the counter and playing with a higher tempo in terms of closing players down.

Of course, it all could and should have been different. The first twenty minutes were strong and especially Saka was once again our most dangerous player. Martinelli had two golden opportunities to silence the American Mancs in the crowd but his efforts lacked venom, so typical of a pre-season game, but unforgiveable when thinking about the opponent we were playing. Alas, after that we made a couple of typical pre-season mistakes on a pitch, it must be said, that clearly suited a team that sat deep and absorbed pressure but not a team that wanted to play attacking football in the opponent’s half. For Ten Hag it was important not to lose and we have to respect that. They are scared of us and in early September, when they come to the Home of Football, we will know what to expect. The boys will be ready for them, let there be no doubt about it. A little score will be settled.

Eight Observations

  1. See previous post – I think we were still missing Granit in this game. The team missed his-linking-the-lines-up play on the important left side. Declan had a lot to do and Havertz did not come deep often enough to support and help with the linking up. But it was the combo of Tomi-Big Gab-Havertz-Martinelli that showed a lot of pre-season work needs still to be done.
  2. Declan looked good at times but was clearly still finding his feet in the new team. I don’t think we can play with one deeper DM in games against opponents like MU, as yet. There was an ocean of space to cover for him with both the Ode and Havertz just playing a little bit too high up the pitch. But there is no doubt we signed a class engine that will grow and become part of the red and white machine soon.
  3. My highlight of the game was Timber’s play. He fitted in well and his link up play with his colleagues on the right was very good. I loved his speed and physicality, and the more intricate combo play with Saka in attack looked very promising.
  4. The left-back situation is a bit more worrying. Tomi did well enough but he is not left footed and it showed at times. Tierney should be first choice but for some reason Arteta does not see him as such. Zinch was missing with injury, who is of course our first choice ‘LB’, but I am not sure whether we have the same quality on the left as we have on the right.
  5. The Ode and Havertz were below par and I reckon Ten Hag was constantly making sure that his players did not give them any time and space to strut their stuff. They struggled most with the terrible condition of the pitch as slick and fast passing just did not seem possible, but I still wanted a bit more drive and energy from them. Early days, of course, so we should not be too harsh.
  6. It was great to see Tequila back on the right side in defence. He also looked a bit rusty but he brought calm and organisation that I thought we missed on the left side.
  7. The second half was much better tactically, even though we did not create many chances. The repeated fouling by the Mancs and nobody wanting to get injured kept us from pushing hard enough to force the chances, I think. But cameos by ESR, Trossard and one or two others were encouraging. Yet, Eddie did have a great chance to score – almost as big a chance as Martinelli wasted in the first half – and I cannot shake off the feeling that he just does not make enough of the opportunities he gets from Arteta. I hope to see Balogun start a few pre-season games.
  8. So, in summary, Arsenal have to work hard to get the left side purring and make us forget Granit Xhaka; we need to get more support for the deep DM with the build up play from the back and through the lines, and; we need more bite in attack, especially from the left and the centre. A work in progress and I am confident we will gradually get there.

By TotalArsenal

30 thoughts on “Arsenal v Manchester United: 8 Observations”

  • Two posts in two days, Total. That holiday must have refreshed you, mate.
    Re: the last post, I saw what you did there, Frank, but don’t forget Alfred the Great was an Anglo Saxon.

  • Yes, we most certainly missed the calming influence of Xhaka, he would have stood up to the Manc bullying. Still missing the sharpness and fitness that last season made us so relentless for so long. I hate losing to that mod but in the grand scheme of things it’s as relevant as beating the MLS 5-0, our season starts of August 6th.

    Enjoyed the Xhaka post TA, a nice tribute…

  • Nice observations TA, but I feel that Mikel is testing his players.. this will not be the final starting XI, but after the 5-0 demolition of MLS all stars this is something closer to home. It is good to suffer defeats in the preseason rather than in-season.

    Hope everyone is well

  • Tobe honest when I saw the starting line-ups I kind of expected another 5:0 victory, and I foresee myself calming fellow supporters down that it wasn’t the CL final just yet.
    The truth is that – as many observed – the 4-1-4-1 is just not enough midfield-wise against a top team. And apparently the pre-season Manchester United (featuring fringe players and talented teenagers) is a top team. And while I don’t think we should draw important conclusions at the moment, it looks as the lack of defensive contribution and midfield presence of Odegaard and Havertz is just a liability against serious opponents. Even though the goals were not conceded by being dominated in midfield, but I think the lack of chance creation could be attributed to the thin midfield presence.

    I fully agree with TA, that the key positive takeaway is Timber’s performance and readiness. Although both goals came in the first half, Jurrien was not at fault at either, as they both came from the left. Tierney and Trossard should be also mentioned among the highlights, especially as both came as a surprise to me. I half-expected Kieran being slightly demotivated and Leandro being painfully worse than Martinelli, and neither of them happened.

    There are a few days and a few games to get our act together. Arteta has the freedom to experiment, but so far I don’t see him getting involved with tactics. Neither is he bothered with giving (equal) opportunities to the traveling squad, but that was inevitable to happen.

    The midfield doesn’t click, our attackers are tame at the moment, and the defensive five is error-prone, but what could be a better time to reset the bar and start improving than the pre-season?

  • Welsh cakes are really tasty Total, you should give them a try boyo…

  • Try the M&S variety Total, they have a scone like texture, very fruity.

  • Kev I just looked them up…I love baked goods. Im a great cook but can’t bake, period. I’m completely intimidated by it. I’ll have to go hit a nice bakery… even though they won’t have these cakes, they’ve put me in the mood. I’ll just end up in a good French bakery to be sated.

    I recently saw an Australian Lamington cake and I’m dying to try it. There are one or two places in NY who have that one.

  • Total, I’ve always seen you as someone who moves among the upper crust, I think you’re just being modest… 😄

  • Johnno, yeah mate, it’s easier to go to a local bakeries and I’ve got a brilliant Jewish bakers in my High Street.

  • I think this team has a ton of goals in it, just gotta tighten up at the back, but that will come.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *