A lot is at stake…
By 16:30 GMT (5:30 PM in Nigeria), Arsenal face Manchester United at the emirates stadium, in a battle for the soul of a top 4 finish.
Now Arsenal manager Unai Emery has played down the importance of this game, likely in a bid to take some pressure off of his already tensed squad. Their performance against Rennes on Thursday must have left them bereft of confidence, but he as well as you and I would know better than anyone, the importance of winning this game. Even a draw wouldn’t really be good enough, but a defeat would make a top four finish only possible mathematically, not something you would however want to put your money on.
A look at the table…
A quick look at the standings show just why this game is so important for us. Spurs losing yesterday means that we would be 1 point off of 3rd position should we win today. Lose however and we would be 4 points off 4th position with 8 games to go, the majority of which are away games. Not to mention Chelsea would overtake us as well if they win their outstanding game leaving us in 6th position and a mountain to climb.
So how do we win?
Well i am not a coach, but just like every fan, I have in my mind two possible ways I would like to see us approach this game:
The first is a 4-3-3. I would like to see Maitland Niles come in for Mustafi. The manger doesn’t seem to trust him at the moment, but i don’t see how he could do any worse than Mustafi. The aim here is obviously to try and control the midfield which I don’t think these 3 players can do against the likes of Pogba, Matic, Herrera. Which brings me to my 2nd approach…
A 3-4-3 will bring out the best in our attacking play with the players at our disposal in my opinion. The stats have shown that Kolasinac has been one of our most creative players this season, and while I wouldn’t pick him in 4 man defense, as a wing back he is incredibly effective, and his combination down the left with Iwobi will cause United a world of problems. I also suspect the manager would be inclined to play Kolasinac as he mentioned in his pre match conference the need to bring in fresh legs today.
I also think a 3 man defense will off-set the absence of Torreira through suspension, and Ramsey, Ozil and Aubameyang gives us fire power off the bench. Maitland Niles will have to be very disciplined as he tries to bridge the gap between attack and defense. His quickness will be an advantage over Lichtsteiner in that regard.
Prediction…
We have home advantage, but united have the momentum riding on the wave of success in Paris midweek albeit through a mixture of remarkably good fortune, and careless defending from PSG.
Ours is a somber reflection, a huge point to prove with a desperation not to miss out on Champions league football for the 3rd season running.
All super ingredients for a nice cocktail of explosive fast-paced football, goals, and drama.
ARSENAL 2-2 MAN UTD
CIVILIZEDGUNNER 