Match report – Participant rankings – Arteta response – Video
You may think about the Manchester United dressing room earlier than the sport when the team-sheets dropped. No Gabriel. No Riccardo Calafiori. They will need to have felt good about that. The absence of the Brazilian particularly would have given them some hope that they could negate Arsenal’s power from corners.
What they didn’t realise although was that we’re like a set-piece Hydra: reduce off one head, and two extra develop again. Metaphorically talking, after all, nevertheless it additionally feels fairly literal as a result of at instances in that second half it will need to have felt like we had extra heads than them. That is the evaluation that retains folks coming again.
It’s honest to say that the primary half was fairly dismal from a efficiency perspective, and as a spectacle. United had been effectively organised, saved the sport slim so we couldn’t get the ball vast to our wingers and stretch the play, and our greatest probabilities got here from corners. From one Thomas Partey headed vast with the purpose at his mercy, whereas after one other the ball fell to Gabriel Martinelli who hooked a shot vast after an Oleksandr Zinchenko effort had been blocked.
On the different finish, the one second of actual hazard got here when Jakub Kiwior’s clearance fell for Diogo Dalot who fizzed a shot not too vast of David Raya’s far put up. After the away performances in Lisbon and at West Ham, this was definitely effectively under par from the collective – though there was rather a lot to love about what William Saliba was doing, defensively and in possession.
There will need to have been a dialog within the dressing room on the break, as a result of instantly we seemed higher because the second half started. Gabriel Martinelli had a possibility however took his shot too early (we did get a nook although), and Declan Rice noticed a shot deflected over from which we additionally bought a nook. It didn’t take lengthy for the primary purpose of the sport to reach.
A nook from the left (received by Martinelli off de Ligt), delivered completely by Rice, noticed Jurrien Timber flick residence a header for his first purpose for the membership. I loved the purpose, I loved the micro-analysis of whether or not Timber had made a foul within the build-up, I loved the the crestfallen seems on the faces of the Manchester United gamers. The realisation that even with out Gabriel, Arsenal can menace and torment you from nook kicks. And I actually assume that created a chink of their armour that we seemed to chip away at many times and once more.
It wasn’t simply set-pieces although. Mixture play from Saka and Odegaard noticed the previous’s shot effectively saved at his close to put up by Onana, though the subsequent second of actual hazard got here when a United participant headed the a Rice nook in direction of his personal far put up, just for one his teammates to bail him out and head it off the road. On the different finish, a Matthijs de Ligt header was brilliantly saved by David Raya after Zinchenko gave away a totally pointless free kick simply exterior the field after dropping it carelessly from our personal throw in. He needs to be sending the Spaniard a gift-basket at present, as a result of if that had gone in, he’d have been very a lot beneath the highlight.
The supervisor made a few modifications, with Zinchenko and Martinelli coming off for Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard. The corners saved coming. The gang bought into it, and United had been beneath the cosh. Marcus Rashford conceded one he shouldn’t have, Saka whipped it throughout, Partey headed again into the mixer, and whereas the massive Frenchman didn’t know a lot about it, the ball rebounded off Saliba’s arse and into the again of the web for 2-0. Greater than anybody he deserved a purpose, he was so good final night time in each facet of his recreation, so for him to seal the sport felt proper.
Merino might have made it 3-0, heading simply vast. Extra corners. Extra noises of anticipation from the house followers. Extra jitters within the United field. Onana doing in addition to he might however the high quality of the deliveries – notably from Rice – will need to have made him really feel like he’d moderately have been anyplace else. I preferred Rice’s post-game feedback about corners and the risk we pose from them:
It’s important to consider in your course of. We consider in our course of, you already know, we preserve at it on a regular basis. We by no means get bored. Once you go up for a nook, there’s an opportunity to attain a purpose. It’s not an opportunity to calm down and chill.
I believed that was fascinating. The mindset that it’s a possibility appears apparent to me, however perhaps that’s not at all times how corners have been considered by gamers and managers down the years. Actually now no person can ignore the truth that being this good at one particular facet of the sport might be massively useful. I’m not going to say et that set-pieces have been considered because the poor relation of well-worked workforce targets, however there was an affiliation with groups who can’t do the previous so that they consider the latter. Possibly it’s not fairly the identical as Arsene Wenger discovering a bonus in one thing so simple as eating regimen and vitamin again within the day, however I don’t assume any Premier League workforce today can afford to only wing it from corners and set-pieces. Arsenal have demonstrated you might be good at soccer typically, whereas concentrating on this facet of the sport too.
As Arteta mentioned afterwards:
We have to have a look at each angle: what the [opposition] do, the place they are often weak, and the place we are able to exploit the weak point of the opposition. Each single part of play, simply maximise it and preserve engaged on it, preserve bettering.
But it surely’s not nearly set-pieces:
We wish to create particular person moments, magic moments, a whole lot of gamers can create their very own targets. We are able to create targets on quick counters, lengthy counters, towards gradual build-ups, when we’ve got to have restarts and the chance to open the opposition. Each single part of play, simply maximise it and preserve engaged on it, preserve bettering.
Possibly some folks will pour scorn on the very fact we received a recreation with two targets from corners, as if these targets are someway value much less. Ask any United fan this morning although: would they moderately rating two set-pieces and win, or lose 2-0, and each single one in every of them will go together with that first choice. It’s an enormous credit score to Arteta, to Nicolas Jover in his position as set-piece coach, and these gamers that we’re so constantly efficient from a part of the sport that has been usually ignored by many managers for years and years.
At 2-0 that was that. There have been extra corners. It was in all probability instructive that at one level earlier than Saka or Rice delivered, Ruben Amorim sat ashen-faced on the United bench, nearly unable to observe. As if he was experiencing the ultimate kick of a penalty shoot-out moderately than one thing as mundane as an Arsenal nook, however that tells you loads about what we are able to do, and what he must do together with his personal workforce.
So, that makes it 4 wins from 4 for the reason that final Interlull, and it was a massively necessary three factors as effectively as a result of a late purpose at St James’ Park noticed Newcastle maintain Liverpool to a 3-3 draw. Simply a few factors dropped, nevertheless it was completely very important we took benefit of that. Consideration now to turns to the weekend, and Sunday’s go to to Fulham, however for now, we are able to get pleasure from a very good win over conventional rivals and the very fact the hole to the highest has closed just a bit.
For extra on this recreation, we’ll have an Arsecast for you a bit later this morning, so please be a part of us for that. Within the meantime, have a very good one and revel in Wrighty’s pleasure and Gary Neville’s face.
The dichotomy (trichotomy???) of man #arsenal
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