Despite numerous chances at the Emirates Stadium, Arsène Wenger’s side came off second best once again and showed they remain unstable at the backFor 79 minutes on Saturday, Arsenal were superb. In that spell, they had 32 shots to Manchester United’s five. They pummelled a team noted for their organisation, creating chance after chance. As Arsène Wenger underlined afterwards, they hammered them on the xG. They forced David de Gea into a Premier League record 14 saves. The problem was that by the time they began that spell, they were 2-0 down.There is an entire chapter in Alex Ferguson’s last but one book devoted to Wenger and how predictable he found Arsenal, how easy they were to counter-attack. Wenger claimed last week...
Arsène Wenger might rightly feel his side should have won, but that would be to deny the unadulterated brilliance of the man in Manchester United’s goalHow did Arsenal not win this match? Actually scratch that. How did Arsenal not win this match 6-3, or at the very least end up drawing it? This is not a rhetorical question. There is an answer. The main reason this didn’t happen and why instead Manchester United were able to extract a stirring, ruthlessly executed 3-1 away win is because David de Gea produced a performance of relentless brilliance in goal.For an hour at the Emirates, as Arsenal surged back from the indignity of conceding a 2-0 deficit, De Gea was a one-man spider’s...
The Gunners have long been vulnerable to conceding goals on the break but Arsène Wenger’s change in formation has helped in addressing the problemA common sight at the Emirates Stadium in the past decade has been the away team storming into acres of space to seek reward on the counterattack, with Arsenal’s defensive players nowhere to be seen. The weakness has often flared in the biggest games and one of the best examples was the goal Cristiano Ronaldo scored to clinch Manchester United’s victory over Arsène Wenger’s side in their Champions League semi-final in 2009. United ruthlessly exploited Arsenal’s gung-ho approach, breaking at exhilarating speed, Ronaldo hurtling into the area to finish off a move he had started with a...
Arsène Wenger’s team are on a winning streak and Mesut Özil is sparkling but, before Manchester United visit on Saturday, there is no evidence yet that underlying failings of focus and organisation have been eradicatedArsenal are fourth! Arsenal have won their past three league games in a row! Arsenal have beaten Tottenham Hotspur and are now above them in the table! Arsenal have won seven out of seven at home this season!Arsenal defeated Huddersfield Town 5-0 on Wednesday with all three of their expensive forwards scoring! Arsenal are four points off second! At the Emirates Stadium, dreams are – tentatively – being dreamed again. Related: Mesut Özil provides the inspiration as Arsenal hammer Huddersfield The question is so familiar these days as...
Before the teams with whom Chapman enjoyed his greatest success meet in the Premier League on Wednesday, we recall arguably English football’s most influential manager – referred to as the ‘maker of champions’On Wednesday Arsenal and Huddersfield meet in the league for the first time in a generation, since the Gunners contributed to their one-time rivals’ relegation with two 1-0 wins in 1971-72. Theirs is a history pockmarked with notable encounters, from the 1930 FA Cup final to the friendly with which Huddersfield celebrated their centenary, but perhaps the most important occurred a little after midnight on the night of 10 June 1925, as Herbert Chapman decided which club he should manage the following season. Every one of these key...