Match report – Participant scores – Arteta response – Video
You possibly can 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 specifically would have given them some hope that they may negate Arsenal’s energy 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, in fact, 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 truthful to say that the primary half was fairly dismal from a efficiency perspective, and as a spectacle. United have been properly organised, saved the sport slim so we couldn’t get the ball broad to our wingers and stretch the play, and our greatest probabilities got here from corners. From one Thomas Partey headed broad with the aim at his mercy, whereas after one other the ball fell to Gabriel Martinelli who hooked a shot broad 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 broad of David Raya’s far put up. After the away performances in Lisbon and at West Ham, this was definitely properly 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 appeared higher because the second half started. Gabriel Martinelli had a chance however took his shot too early (we did get a nook although), and Declan Rice noticed a shot deflected over from which we additionally obtained a nook. It didn’t take lengthy for the primary aim 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 aim for the membership. I loved the aim, I loved the micro-analysis of whether or not Timber had made a foul within the build-up, I loved the the crestfallen seems to be 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 suppose that created a chink of their armour that we appeared to chip away at repeatedly and once more.
It wasn’t simply set-pieces although. Mixture play from Saka and Odegaard noticed the previous’s shot properly saved at his close to put up by Onana, though the following second of actual hazard got here when a United participant headed the a Rice nook in the 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 very pointless free kick simply exterior the field after shedding it carelessly from our personal throw in. He needs to be sending the Spaniard a gift-basket right now, as a result of if that had gone in, he’d have been very a lot below the highlight.
The supervisor made a few adjustments, with Zinchenko and Martinelli coming off for Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard. The corners saved coming. The gang obtained into it, and United have been below the cosh. Marcus Rashford conceded one he shouldn’t have, Saka whipped it throughout, Partey headed again into the mixer, and whereas the large Frenchman didn’t know a lot about it, the ball rebounded off Saliba’s arse and into the again of the online for 2-0. Greater than anybody he deserved a aim, he was so good final night time in each side of his recreation, so for him to seal the sport felt proper.
Merino may have made it 3-0, heading simply broad. Extra corners. Extra noises of anticipation from the house followers. Extra jitters within the United field. Onana doing in addition to he may however the high quality of the deliveries – notably from Rice – will need to have made him really feel like he’d relatively have been anyplace else. I appreciated Rice’s post-game feedback about corners and the menace we pose from them:
It’s a must to consider in your course of. We consider in our course of, you understand, we maintain at it on a regular basis. We by no means get bored. Whenever you go up for a nook, there’s an opportunity to attain a aim. It’s not an opportunity to chill out and chill.
I assumed that was attention-grabbing. The mindset that it’s a chance appears apparent to me, however possibly that’s not all the time how corners have been seen by gamers and managers down the years. Definitely now no person can ignore the truth that being this good at one particular side of the sport will be massively helpful. I’m not going to say et that set-pieces have been seen 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 focus on the latter. Possibly it’s not fairly the identical as Arsene Wenger discovering a bonus in one thing so simple as weight-reduction plan and vitamin again within the day, however I don’t suppose any Premier League workforce today can afford to only wing it from corners and set-pieces. Arsenal have demonstrated you will be good at soccer usually, whereas concentrating on this side of the sport too.
As Arteta mentioned afterwards:
We have to take 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 maintain engaged on it, maintain bettering.
Nevertheless it’s not nearly set-pieces:
We need to create particular person moments, magic moments, a number of gamers can create their very own targets. We will create targets on quick counters, lengthy counters, towards sluggish 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 maintain engaged on it, maintain 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 one way or the other price much less. Ask any United fan this morning although: would they relatively rating two set-pieces and win, or lose 2-0, and each single certainly one of them will go along 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 typically missed by many managers for years and years.
At 2-0 that was that. There have been extra corners. It was most likely instructive that at one level earlier than Saka or Rice delivered, Ruben Amorim sat ashen-faced on the United bench, virtually unable to look at. As if he was experiencing the ultimate kick of a penalty shoot-out relatively 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 vital three factors as properly as a result of a late aim at St James’ Park noticed Newcastle maintain Liverpool to a 3-3 draw. Simply a few factors dropped, nevertheless it was completely 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 an excellent 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 an excellent one and luxuriate in Wrighty’s pleasure and Gary Neville’s face.
The dichotomy (trichotomy???) of man #arsenal
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