After a run of three wins in a row, Arsenal will be dealt with a tricky challenge as they travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Monday.
The Gunners are slight favourites thanks to their excellent form going into this game. However, Unai Emery will surely need to prepare a definite gameplan in order to beat United at their own turf. In this article, we will discuss three things the Spaniard can do to outwit the Red Devils on Monday tactically.
Deploy a three-man midfield
Emery should not continue with a 4-2-3-1 formation against Manchester United. Instead, he should employ a 4-3-1-2 setup, with three central midfielders and Dani Ceballos operating as the number ten.
The midfield is certainly a weak point for Manchester United. Arsenal, to that end, could get the upper hand due to the presence of the extra man in midfield. The numerical superiority will allow them to carry the ball more comfortably and dominate the opposition in the middle of the park.
Not to mention – it will make their transition from defence to attack a lot easier, especially with Ceballos acting as the lone attacking midfielder.
Start with Pepe and Aubameyang in attack
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has done a superb job following the injury of Alexandre Lacazette. The Gabonese international has been scoring a lot of goals in that number nine slot. But, as mentioned earlier, Emery should deploy a two-man offensive setup, with Nicolas Pepe spearheading the Arsenal attack alongside Aubameyang.
The presence of these two attackers will force Manchester United to employ a deep-defensive line, mainly in fear of their pace. Additionally, Pepe’s ability to drift into wide spaces will add another dimension to the Arsenal attack.
Both Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof are excellent defenders. But, they have their respective weaknesses, and Arsenal should exploit that if they are to secure all three points in this fixture.
Stop playing out from the back
Perhaps the most important step for Emery before this encounter is to advise his players not to play out from the back. With David Luiz and Sokratis Papastathopoulos set to return, it could be dangerous for the Gunners to do as neither of them are good with the ball.
Sokratis has already made a grave error against Watford while Luiz is yet to sort his feet out playing for his new club. But most importantly, United boast the services of a few pacy attackers like Daniel James and Mason Greenwood. They can take full advantage of any mishap the Gunners defenders end up making while playing out from the back.
Therefore, Emery should look for a more authentic approach and use the fullbacks to spread out play from the back. Alternatively, he could assign one of his midfielders to act as an auxiliary centre-back during the build-up phase.
