Arsenal once again proves formidable strength
Before the match against Inter Milan in the middle of the week, Arsenal was predicted to face countless difficulties when playing at San Siro. However, when the final whistle sounded, the "Gunners" won 3-1, once again proving their ambition in the UEFA Champions League this season.
Before the match, it was thought that Arsenal would field a "moderate" squad, but with what Mikel Arteta has in hand, it is difficult to determine which is the strongest squad of The Gunners when the positions are all very balanced in terms of capacity. Those who seemed to be substitutes like Gabriel Jesus shined with a double. Arsenal are showing an incredible force.
However, the worry is not non-existent. In the League Cup semi-final first leg last week, Arsenal also fielded a very strong squad in the 3-2 victory over Chelsea. After that, they returned to City Ground in the Premier League and let the home team Nottingham draw goalless. That was their 2nd consecutive draw in the domestic arena, the arena considered the most important for Arteta.
Currently, Arsenal has the longest unbeaten streak in the Premier League with 7 consecutive matches. Chasing teams such as Man City, Aston Villa or Liverpool have all stumbled continuously. A win is the goal set, but if the match ends in a draw, it is not a disaster for Mikel Arteta and his students.
The reason is that they have dropped points in 2/3 of their last matches after returning from the Champions League. The last time was the win against Inter, then the draw with Nottingham. The previous time was the draw with Chelsea in a numerical advantage after also winning with a score of 3-1 against Bayern Munich.
Arsenal is strong evenly in all lines but the numbers don't lie. There is reason for Arteta's team to be vigilant, especially against an exciting opponent like Manchester United.
Man United hopes to get points
The "Red Devils" have only got 1 point in the last 6 matches against Arsenal. More specifically, in the last 7 encounters with Man United at the Emirates, Arsenal have not lost. However, those matches often take place with very tense scenarios. Although the victory against Man City is only a parameter of form, it cannot be denied that it is making the atmosphere at Old Trafford at this time more exciting than ever.
Man United played tight defense and fast counter-attack to defeat Man City. Arsenal is also an attacking team but better than Man City in that their defense is very solid. Although they could not win 3 points against Liverpool and Nottingham, Arsenal did not let these opponents score. Therefore, to win points at Emirates, Michael Carrick's team must try twice as hard.
Identifying the opponent, Carrick can see that the common point between Man City and Arsenal is superior ball control. Against Man City, Man United only held the ball 32% and focused on counter-attacks. Last week, they created up to 6 clear scoring opportunities, many times the ball hit the goal frame or goals were not recognized for offside.
Man United's expected goal difference against Man City is 2.27 and they have scored 2 goals by Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu. With the remaining attacking spearheads being excited, Man United's danger is still present.
Man United does not set a goal to win at the Emirates because leaving with 1 point is also a success. No matter what, Arsenal fans may experience very tense moments on Sunday evening this week.
