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Champions Don't Get Bullied Like Arsenal Did

match review arsenal manchester united old trafford premier league

Match Review: Man Utd 1 Arsenal 1 - Premier League 17.05.15

A point at Old Trafford is never something to be sniffed at and especially not as it almost guarantees that we will avoid the Champions League play-off round and two unwelcome extra games. But I think most would agree there was a degree of fortune about the result and that our performance for the first hour or so could have left us with nothing.

arsenal united jones giroud

Arsene Wenger named an unchanged line up again and the initial 10 minutes were promising. It was a fairly even contest, with both teams pressing high and denying each other space. However, Man United slowly gained control as our passing became sloppy and they forced us into long balls up to Giroud. The home team controlled possession and were very aggressive in closing us down. As is often the case, we looked unable to cope with pressure that was being put on us and with United monopolising the ball, they eventually got the breakthrough.

The goal came from a tactic that United had been employing from the very start of the game. Young got into a crossing position, Fellaini pulled off to the back post, along with Herrera, creating an overload that we failed to deal with. Monreal got dragged infield by Mata’s run and then didn’t recover in time, ending up challenging with Koscielny instead of picking up Herrera. The Spanish midfielder finished first time past a weak attempt to save from Ospina to give Man Utd a deserved lead. Wenger will have been glad to get the players in at just the one goal down, as United came close to doubling their lead more than once before the whistle blew.

For the first fifteen minutes or so in the second half, not much changed, but as the clock ticked over to sixty minutes, we started to show signs of life. First Giroud had a golden opportunity to equalise when Özil made a great run and then cut the ball back to the French striker. Giroud did well to turn the defender, but from just four yards out, he rushed himself and only managed to poke a tame shot at De Gea. As well as he’s played this season, it was a horrendous miss and really he had to score that chance.

We started to put more pressure on and force United onto the back foot, showing the sort of attacking creativity that we’d lacked in the first half of this match and the whole match against Swansea. Cazorla had a similar chance to Herrera’s but slipped at the vital moment before we were denied a clear penalty when Giroud practically had his shirt ripped off him by Smalling. Ramsey was sent clear and flicked over De Gea, but was denied a tap in at the last moment by Rojo and it was beginning to look like we had rallied too late to salvage anything. However, three substitutions changed the outcome of the game, as Theo Walcott, Tyler Blackett and Victor Valdes entered the game.

wilshere united old trafford arsenal

Aaron Ramsey was the architect, with an absolutely stunning ball from inside his own half. Walcott brought the pass down brilliantly and ran at Blackett, working just enough space to try and fire a cross in. Blackett stuck out a leg and deflected it and Valdes was stranded, having committed himself too early, allowing the ball to loop into the far corner. A lucky goal for certain, but on balance I think we were much the better team in the second half and deserved it. We could even have won it with a late chance that Giroud could only put into the side netting.

For me, we were tactically outdone in the first half. United identified a weakness at our back post and also forced us to turn over possession by double marking Giroud and forcing us to pump the ball long from our own half. This isn’t something new though and we really should have found a way to deal with it by now. Sp*rs pressed us out of the game at their place and so did Liverpool earlier in the season. We really need to address this for next season, because too many times we start tentatively and get bullied out of the game early on. If we want to win major honours, we can’t fall foul of these tactics any more. Champions don’t get bullied, they do the bullying.

Having said that though, you have to give credit to Wenger and the team for changing things and managing to sneak a result. Certainly we improved immeasurably in the second half and if we’d started the way we finish, I’m certain we’d be talking about a victory, not a draw. I’m also glad that we’ve gone unbeaten in three games in Manchester and maybe gone some way to breaking the mental hoodoo we have at the Etihad and Old Trafford. Hopefully we can get a win on Wednesday night and then put all our effort into preparing for the FA Cup final.

Teams

Manchester United (4-1-4-1)
De Gea (Valdes 74’), Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Rojo (Blackett 73’), Blind, Herrera (Y), Fellaini, Mata, Young, Falcao (Van Persie 61’)
Subs
Valdes, Januzaj, Van Persie, Blackett, McNair, Wilson, Di Maria

Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
Ospina, Bellerin (Walcott 72’), Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla (Wilshere 73’), Ramsey, Özil, Alexis (Flamini 90’), Giroud
Subs
Szczesny, Gibbs, Gabriel, Walcott, Rosicky, Wilshere, Flamini

Player Ratings

Ospina - 5/10 - He should have done better for their goal
Bellerin - 6/10 - Had a tricky game, Young gave him a lot of trouble
Mertesacker - 7/10 - Did a good job against Fellaini, no real mistakes
Koscielny - 7/10 - I thought he did a really good job, strong and aggressive
Monreal - 6/10 - Made a mistake for their goal, might open the door for Gibbs slightly
Coquelin - 6/10 - Not as effective as usual, still has some improvements to make
Cazorla - 5/10 - Struggled against United’s aggressive midfield and rightly subbed
Ramsey - 7/10 - Sensational in the last thirty minutes, but struggled on the right
Özil - 7/10 - Should have ended up with two assists, struggled in the first half though
Alexis - 7/10 - Worked hard through an injury, maybe due a rest
Giroud - 5/10 - Missed two huge chances that would have seen us win
Subs
Wilshere - 7/10 - Looks hungry and sharp, should start the next two games
Walcott - 7/10 - Credit to him, produced the equaliser with a great bit of play
Flamini - N/A

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Tags: Match Review, Theo Walcott, Old Trafford, Match Report, Ospina

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