Those were surely the words of Wenger prior to the game on Sunday. United could be considered lucky in this eventual deserved victory. Several blatant misses from Arsenal, including a six yard sitter from Van Persie, portrayed a thoroughly open game that was genuinely anyone’s for the taking from the outset. Maybe luck was a part, maybe it was justice as United seemed to dominate most of the possession, although possession alone does not justify victory. Aresnals intricate passing and wily attack was a constant threat that United just about dealt with, although should this have even mattered considering Arsenals youth and Uniteds considerable experience?
Why were United even this close to a really inexperienced arsenal side? Were they tired? No reason to be. Were they caught out tactically? Not by any means, in fact they looked tactically superior for the most of the game. There was perhaps a pace issue, with Rapheal and the other defenders being outdone for pace on several occasions. Is this the real weakness in the current squad?
Going forward there didn’t seem to be too much of a problem, with even Valencia getting on the score sheet, however, the opportunities that they presented to Arsenal were plentiful. Why was this? Are Uniteds defence too slow? A difficult question as previously this is not even something I would have considered. I think that naturally they are far from slow. We’ve seen the full backs bursting forward many a times with pace. Perhaps instead it was more due to concentration. Against top opponents you must be on top form and this seems likely to be the real reason why this game was even as close as it was.
Against Liverpool this weekend they must show more of the usual resilience at the back. Although Liverpool are not currently performing and they don’t have anywhere near the quality they once had, it is always a tough game. Essentially it could boil down to; focus and win, lose your concentration and we might not be so lucky.
My name is Iain, my Bio is now on the Writers page under the About tab. Please, feel free to comment and share your views.
Iain (@Jesters_Shoes)
9 Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment Login