Manchester United v Arsenal Preview

Manchester United v Arsenal, Saturday 3rd November, 12.45pm, Old Trafford, Premier League, Sky Sports 2


Premier League table

1. Chelsea 22pts
2. Man Utd 21pts
3. Man City 21pts
4. Spurs 17pts
- - - - - - - -
5. Everton 16pts
6. Arsenal 15pts


Back-to-back wins improve Gunners' morale

Has a team ever won two games in a week the way Arsenal just did? It looked for all the world that the Gunners would exit the league cup on Wednesday, whilst four days earlier, at home to QPR, it seemed for long periods that another miserable day was in store. Even after Mikel Arteta's late winner, 10-man bottom of the table QPR almost netted twice. The unprecedented result with Reading will no doubt have improved the squads' morale though, even if Arsene Wenger did make 11 changes in order for his first-team stars to rest ahead of the trip to Old Trafford on Saturday.

The defensive frailties in the 7-5 victory did leave fans with a minor headache though, and Wenger admits it's imperative his side improves at the back. "It concerns me a little bit," the 63-year old said at Thursday's pre-match press conference, "But you have to give credit to the offensive quality in the Premier League as well." And in round 10 of the league, Arsenal come up against, arguably, the best forward line in the division. Sir Alex Ferguson's options up top - Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez & Danny Welbeck - have already led the Scot to compare his current strikers to that of his treble-winning 1999 side.


United stutter to second place

It's difficult to remember a Manchester United side which has looked as shaky in defence as the current one. Injuries to Nemanja Vidic, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones make that statement more understandable, though United's back four of recent games - Rafael, Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans & Patrice Evra - are all internationals, and should no doubt be performing better. Despite these issues, Ferguson's brilliant forward options have dug his team out of a hole on several occasions already this season. Last season's runners-up's have already comeback four times in the league this campaign. The Red Devils have been trailing in both of their previous two home games - against Stoke and Braga - before firing back to take three points.

The 5-4 defeat to Chelsea in the league cup on Wednesday was not a surprise looking at the team Ferguson opted to play - a centre-back pairing of Scott Wootton & Michael Keane - but after leading 3-2 in injury time, the United boss will be unhappy to have gone out of the competition. So, after everything, to be in second place, one point off Chelsea, with key defenders still to return, it's been a good beginning to the 2012/13 season overall for the 12-times Premier League winners.


The inevitable talk surrounding the game

Mentioning the following isn't easy for Arsenal fans, no one more so than myself. But it's inevitable the two subjects will be discussed at depth by the media come Saturday.

That game: Probably the most embarrassing day of any Arsenal fan's life. Conceding 6 at Old Trafford in February 2001 was bad enough, but last seasons catastrophe in Manchester was on another level, sadly. For the record, the Arsenal squad that day: Szczesny; Jenkinson Koscielny Djourou Traore; Coquelin Ramsey; Walcott Rosicky Arshavin; Van Persie - Subs: Fabianski, Miquel, Ozyakup, Lansbury, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chamakh, Sunu

That guy: Robin van Persie. 132 goals in 277 appearances for Arsenal. How the club agreed to sell it's captain and the country's best striker to fierce rivals is simply unforgivable, but it happened, and on Saturday Van Persie will face the gunners. He already has 9 goals in 12 games for Manchester United, and will have to be closely monitored on the weekend, obviously.


Match Facts

* Manchester United have won seven and lost none of the last eight matches against Arsenal at Old Trafford in all competitions.

* Wayne Rooney scored his first Premier League goal, his first in the PL for Man Utd and his 100th Premier League goal against Arsenal.

* There have been eight penalties in the last nine meetings between United and Arsenal at Old Trafford.

* The Gunners have scored just 10 goals in 20 Premier League visits to Old Trafford.

* Manchester United have won eight and lost just one of their last 10 games against Arsenal in all competitions.

* United have scored in their last 53 Premier League home games, an all-time PL record.

* Since the start of the season, Van Persie, Rooney, Hernandez, Welbeck & Kagawa have netted 20 goals in 52 appearance between them, whilst Giroud, Podolski, Gervinho, Chamahk & Walcott have netted 21 goals in 50 appearances.


Key Battle


Robin van Persie v Thomas Vermaelen

They used to hate each other, then love each other, and now? Well, we may find out on Saturday. Thomas Vermaelen and Robin van Persie's on-off relationship dates back to the former's days at Ajax. In pre-season 2005, the gunners traveled to Holland to take part in the Amsterdam tournament. When Vermaelen clattered into Van Persie, it provoked a nasty reaction. So, when Arsenal signed the Belgian defender in 2009, the clash between these two clocked up a few more thousand views on youtube. And there could be a few more videos online come Saturday afternoon when the two face each other in a club game for the first time in 7 years.

Three years ago, Van Persie labelled the current Arsenal captain "a proper defender", also calling him "tough and physical". Since then, the 26-year old has matured into a fans' favourite.

But Van Persie has been in lethal form for his new club. And whilst Vermaelen has formed an impressive understanding with Per Mertesacker in defence for Arsenal, it's hard not to fancy the Dutchman finding our net on the weekend. Wenger's men, despite their much-maligned back line, have the league's best defence - at least statistically, letting in just 6 goals in 9 games.

How Vermaelen deals with the former gunner on Saturday is likely to be pivotal in the outcome of the game.


Team News



Szczesny (ankle), Oxlade-Chamberlain (hip), Diaby (thigh), Rosicky (tendon), Fabianski (ankle), Gervinho (ankle) and Gibbs (thigh) are all unavailable.



Kagawa (knee), Jones (knee) and Vidic (knee) are all out, and whilst Smalling (foot) is back in training, Ferguson has confirmed he is still not ready.



Manager's views

Arsene Wenger:

"I don't know what reception Van Persie will get but I hope it is a respectful one because he has played for us for eight years, he has done very well for us. To start to think how much do we miss him will not help us to do well. I am not surprised by how well he is doing. His runs are fantastic and his technique is absolutely amazing."

"If we do well in this game we can come closer to Man United and we'll have played mainly all the big teams away from home. So for us it is a very important game."

(Press conference: http://bitly.com/SfqDef )

Sir Alex Ferguson:

"If you think about all the former players who come back to Old Trafford, they always get a warm applause. I don’t think that will be a problem tomorrow, I think the fans will recognise the eight years Van Persie gave them and that will be nice. Robin is a mature player and I think that helps. The experience he’s got of playing eight years in England makes it easier for him to play for another English club. He’s been very satisfying for us. He’s made a fantastic start for us and hopefully he can keep it going."

"Every game with Arsenal is a big one, it won't be any different on Saturday. They have proved defensively this year that they're a stronger, more physical team. I watched them last week against QPR and it'll be a hard game."

Please thrash them.

Get one of our CB's to take out the ref and then you won't have a problem. Without their best player they are only an average team.

First of all great work with the preview Sam!

I really dont expect much of this game. I will be a happy man if we manage to get a draw against them. They've got best attackers in the league as Sam mentioned and our defensive record havnt been that impressive lately.

I would start the same line-up as Sam predicted but i think Wenger will start Santos instead of Jenks and maybe Ramsey instead of Walcott.

Look at their midfield, cleverley and carrick, two of the most average scrubs to play at the top level. We really should run rings around them, just have to be clinical and solid at defence. We must not play santos, seriously, utd are a wing play team, as long as our full back keep the flanks locked down and our CBs keep it tight we should be ok from there. However i am resigned to the inevitability that he who must not be named will score a goal

We've always ran rings around their midfield in recent seasons, but always fail to create a really good chance and end up losing to a couple of goals scored on the counter.

One thing we must do is actually turn out for the first half. We cannot afford to start as slow as have been in recent games otherwise the game will be lost before we can even get into it and I can't really see us coming back from 4-0 down against United somehow.

Assuming that we do actually turn up for this game, the real danger area for us would be our left flank. Valencia is in very good form and Rafael will get forward at every opportunity. If they get Santos 2-on-1, we're going to be in trouble, especially with van Persie being a menace in the penalty area. Podolski is going to have to a disciplined job on that flank and help out the vulnerable Santos.

The best way to deal with van Persie is to cut the supply to him. He can make something out of nothing, but he scores most of his goals via his movement in the penalty area. A lot easier said than done, of course.

I think their left side is their weakest, with Evra being suspect nowadays. I'm hoping we play Walcott to take advantage of that, but I've a feeling Ramsey will play there.

My expectations for this game are very low as I'm not confident at all in our ability to shut them out, neither am I confident we'll create the chances necessary to score ourselves. Fingers crossed that after midweek we'll play with more confidence and zest than we have been.

I'd be delighted with a point.

Oh, and I'm absolutely certain van Persie will score.

Our only hopes of getting any point depends on how our defense cops up with their attack.. Their central midfield and defence looks weaker this season again.. It will be interesting whether we play Ramsey and go for the midfield dominance or play Walcott on the right.. I would go for Ramsey as i feel this games result almost entirely depends on keeping them quiet.. So we need to give them few time with the ball..
But i dont think Wenger is going to bench Santos.. I hope atleast he uses some fitness reason as an excuse to bench him..
And for me the biggest blow is missing Sczeny.. Mannone needs to be his very best in air during crosses and free kicks..
What we have seen in last few matches is a poor gk and defence, a midfield struggling to create chances and a poor attacking line upfront.. Only inspiration is that 5-7 comeback.. Probabilities are very low.. But if we turn this now at Old Toilet, then this is our season...

playing in Old Trafford, a draw would pretty much be a good result for us.... but a win is still preferrable. Despite's Arsenal's superb comeback on their last match, United is a different opponent.

Walcott has to start, end of. He would rape Evra all game and that's where our attack has to be focused. In fact their whole available defence is beatable, Ferdinand slow and past it, Evans error prone, Evra horrible and Rafael attacks more than he defends.

Midfield can be overrun and they create most of their chances from crosses so our fullbacks have to be very careful.

I think we should approach the game same as we did against Liverpool. Sit back and counter till we score and then start to pass the ball around and frustrate them.

Their attack is fantastic so our defence as a whole and I mean everyone has to pull a fantastic performance tomorrow.

I would take a draw of course but I really think this time we can get more from this fixture, if Arsene considers some things carefully.

There are 2 players in United that will create goals out of nothing. Rooney and the other guy. If we find a way to stop them 2 we will come home with all 3 points. As for other players, our def can handle them. Jenko/Sagna really needs to be on point in stopping Valencia. Stop those 3 and United do not look scary at all.

Preview is now fully updated.

I hope Wilshere shows RIP who is the real No.10

Sam what a preview.

This is the most important game of our season imo, we are due for a win at united and i believe our team will be up for it and I hope we can win the game. I hope Vermaelen breaks the traitor in half and make the baby inside cry.

I know Walcott played 120m but he is young and can play another 120 if he is asked too. This game will show if Wenger still has it or we are living in the past. Past 3 games have been embarrassing and Wenger has not done Jack shit about it.

This is the time for Wenger to show the world he still got it.

-----------------------------Mannone
Sagna-------------- Mertesacker------------Vermaelen-------------Coquelin
---------------Arteta ------------------Wilshere----------------------------Walcott----------------------Cazorla---------------------------Podolski
-------------------------Andrey Arshavin--------------------

We will win this game and *bleep* the RIP, he wont score.

What we get from this game is totally dependent on how we defend on the flanks. Valencia is in ridiculous form atm, and if Santos is starting, he's going to have a field day. On the other side, Young might be still picking up match fitness, but his crosses from the left swinging are always dangerous and usually only need a simple glancing header.

In attack, I think Giroud and Walcott have earned starting spots for the game...Giroud will def. help us hold possession, and Walcott's speed will provide a much bigger than threat than Ramsey's "creativity". Our first team hasn't been penetrating enough in the last few weeks, but with a fully fit Wilshere, I'm optimistic we'll create some clear cut chances unlike the QPR and Schalke games.

In the end, it does all come down to who starts in the fullbacks slots imo...like Jay said, I don't see us being able to stop Van Persie or Rooney for the full 90 minutes, but by limiting the number of crosses, we could hold them to 1 or 2 goals.

One of the best previews in a while


Glad Walcott gets the start, is there any truth to Jenks starting over Santos or anything to keep Santos out of the starting XI?

Great preview Sam, your work gets better every week, wish i can say the same for Santos.

Mancheaters United tops the list of my most hated teams. I dont know why but i just cannot stand this team. Which is why every defeat to them is doubly painful to me.
Tomorrows match will be against the best attack in the EPL against a defence low in spirit.
Tomorrow arsenal must be defensively at their best if they even want a draw, and this defensive responsibility is for the whole team.
The return of wilshire has given a spark to the midfield which we were missing in the last month.
Given the current form of both teams, a draw will not a bad result for arsenal.

Ha thanks for compliments guys. You know I love making these previews

A perfect example how a preview should look like.

It all depends on Wenger at this point. Hope he still has some balls left and does the right thing with dropping some players.

Rev wrote:A perfect example how a preview should look like.

It all depends on Wenger at this point. Hope he still has some balls left and does the right thing with dropping some players.

Sometimes I think Wenger cares about the players feeling more than Arsenal.

Fantastic Preview sam!


I am not confident about this game. One of those fixtures where you know it will be very very hard to get something from even if you are positive. We have been shit in the league and the CL lately, and i am worried it might carry on.

The best thing will be to play cautiously and counter attack them, however i can't see that happening since we will be looking to attack them as always. One good thing about this game is that we will have a completely different team than we did last year in the defeat. We will have better defenders and better midfielders.

I hope the scoreline isn't embarrassing to us

I'd go with this team

-----------------------------------Mannone--------------------------------------
Sagna-----------Mertesacker----------------Vermaelen-------------Santos
--------------------------Arteta----------------Wilshere------------------------
Ramsey/Oxlade/Theo---------------------------Cazorla-----------------------------Podolski
----------------------------Giroud--------------------------------------------------

With Theo and Ramsey/Ox on in the 2nd half. If theo has recovered then he should start at RW.

urbaNRoots wrote:

Mannone
Jenkinson Mertesacker Vermaelen Sagna
Arteta Wilshere
Walcott Cazorla Podolski
Giroud

Walcott has to start, end of. He would rape Evra all game and that's where our attack has to be focused. In fact their whole available defence is beatable, Ferdinand slow and past it, Evans error prone, Evra horrible and Rafael attacks more than he defends.

Midfield can be overrun and they create most of their chances from crosses so our fullbacks have to be very careful.

I think we should approach the game same as we did against Liverpool. Sit back and counter till we score and then start to pass the ball around and frustrate them.

Their attack is fantastic so our defence as a whole and I mean everyone has to pull a fantastic performance tomorrow.

I would take a draw of course but I really think this time we can get more from this fixture, if Arsene considers some things carefully.

im sorry but with this team, we should win this game. the only thing that will cost us is individual mistakes. like mannone doing a flapper.

Piers Morgan ‏

I've never, in my entire four decades supporting them, wanted #Arsenal to win a match more than tomorroww

I think we all agree with this comment.

Goal.com Arsenal-United Ultimate Starting XI


-----------------------------De Gea
Sagna--------Verminator---------Vidic-----------Gibbs
-----------------Wilshere---------Scholes
Valencia-----------------Rooney------------Cazorla
-----------------------------RIP

Arsenal's Premier League record at Old Trafford: P20 W3 D5 L12 F10 A33

lmao

Oxlade out for tomorrow. Ramsey to start on the Right according to Wayne from goal.com