Hi I’m Masa United.
22-23 Premier League Matchday 6 United faced Arsenal at home after winning the opening five games in a row. The match started in the 35th minute when new signing Antony scored his debut goal and United took the lead. In the 60th minute of the second half, Saka’s goal equalised for Arsenal, but United opened the scoring in the 66th minute when Rashford scored to tie the game. In the 75th minute, Rashford stabbed into the net after receiving a last-ditch pass from Eriksen from behind the line, scoring his third goal. United won 3-1. Arsenal’s winning streak ended at five, and United have won four in a row.
*Click here for match highlights
Here’s a roundup of four of United’s “secrets” to beating Arsenal. Let’s see where the point was to defeat the top team!
The following items are included.
👿 Lineup
(1) Onslaught for the first 10 minutes
United’s performance in the opening 10 minutes of the game against Arsenal was the best of the season and packed with many highlights. In the last 10 minutes, United showed their willingness to bet on the game, showing that they would not flinch as they faced a team that had won five in a row since the start of the season, demonstrating that “it is United who will take the initiative!” 。 On the right flank, new signing Antony has made his presence felt in partnership with Dalot, while on the left side he has been promoted by the triangle units of Sancho, Malasia and Eriksen. In the middle, the iron-clad CB duo of Varane and Martinez dueled fiercely with Jesus, while McTominay covered the space with his superb crisis sensing ability. Bruno and Rashford pulled out a wedge and started between the lines.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe last 10 minutes started with a feed from former Ajax team-mates Martinez to Antony. Eriksen’s dribbling gimmick, Malacia’s cross and Dallow’s double touch to the left sent United into the fold. Martinez vs. Jesus, after a break due to McTominay’s tackle on Jesus, Antony broke into the channel and backed up to Dalot from being surrounded by the two. Dalot’s cross showed great shape with Eriksen’s volley. In the last 10 minutes, Arsenal have been locked in their own half, making effective use of their width and depth, moving well with people and the ball, and many combinations of plays, which is exactly what Ten Hag ideally does. Our goal is to keep this up for a longer period of time, but I think it was enough 10 minutes for Arsenal to make us think that United are strong. It was great that we had the mental advantage in those 10 minutes.
(2) The opening goal scored by all players
Then there was the scene of the opening goal. It was Antony’s first goal in the 35th minute in his first appearance since his overjoyed transfer. The topic of discussion in this scene was that there were a total of 18 innings, all 11 of whom connected passes to score. It starts with a throw-in from Dalot, but this breakdown can be described as a typical Ten Hag style, effectively moving opponents with possession and creating space. It can be evaluated in that regard. The key points were Martinez’s back pass, Eriksen’s wedge pass, McTominay’s positioning and positioning on both wings. First, in the first half of the passing phase, all of United’s field players get into the opposition’s box and push the Arsenal formation quite a bit. Antony then showed his footwork on the flanks before returning to Dalot to connect with Varane → Martinez on the ball. Martinez then opted for a back pass to De Gea. The away supporters were stunned by this play, but the pass created a lot of space in midfield for Arsenal, who came forward.
Arsenal’s mark is very loose when the ball passes to Eriksen, and Odegaard, who should have seen Eriksen, is distracted by Malacia. Seeing this, Lokonga slowly approaches Eriksen. At this point, McTominay moves to the left near the circle and pins the Xhaka. This creates space between Arsenal’s lines and allows Bruno to get in there. Eriksen made a pass to Bruno, who dribbled to the left and was crushed by Gabriel, but Gabriel’s opening up the back line made it 3-3 and Zinchenko was forced to go to cover the middle. Both Sancho and Antony’s WG stood at the touchline and pinned both SBs, but when Zinchenko unmarked, Antony was free. Rashford calmly assessed the situation and made a pass to the free Antony.
Embed from Getty ImagesThere is no doubt that Arsenal were well organized, but there is no denying that their overall movement was slow. Eriksen’s mark was ambiguous throughout, which contributed to Eriksen’s success. The biggest factor was that we opened up the space between the lines, but I got the impression that there was no speed to get to the ball and lacked intensity. There is no doubt that the opening goal had a big impact on the outcome of the match.
(3) Control between lines
Next is the offense and defense between the lines. As I mentioned in the first goal item in (2), I think it is one of the factors that made the difference between winning and losing this match. United often had a hotline in Eriksen → Bruno when it came to ball possession, but Rashford also frequently slipped between the lines to receive wedges. Arsenal, as I mentioned earlier, had Loconga in charge of the anchor between the lines, but since Eriksen was going to be free, they had to open up between the lines and go out to the mark. The distortion that occurs at this Eriksen creates space between the lines… Until last season, United often had Bruno go down to midfield and handle the ball, but this season with Eriksen in midfield, Bruno can concentrate on his role as number 10 is really big.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe second goal in the 66th minute was also a bit of a counter-attack, but the point was that Bruno was free between the lines. It starts with Lokonga going out on the left flank and making a pass, but this scene also connects with Eriksen → Bruno and ends with Rashford breaking through Bruno’s excellent through pass. 。 It was between the lines that Bruno also received. At this time, Arsenal were without Loconga and Zinchenko came to cover but couldn’t make it in time. From the perspective of Arsenal supporters, there seems to be a feeling that “if it was Thomas (Erneny) instead of Loconga…”, but rather the ambiguity of Odegaard’s movement I was worried. Arsenal will be in a ball-holding situation when Zinchenko enters the inner lane and becomes a voluntary player. Xhaka moved up one row and Odegaard leaned to the right to make the overall formation 3-2-4-1 to thicken the second row and stabilize the holding in the attacking third, but Odegaard’s role was mainly focused on this ball holding situation, and Negatra’s consciousness seemed to be weak (except for the scene just before the 13th minute goal that was canceled).
Eriksen also watched Odegaard in non-holding scenes, but when it came to positora, he freed himself by leaving Odegaard with an exquisite sense of distance. The positioning sense around here is outstanding. He also has an effective wedge pass with Eriksen that Martinez puts in. Perhaps the clear evolution of United’s build-up is this vertical pass. Until last season, he was often forced to pass the ball around the outside line, but Martinez’s wedge never misses a move when he gets down front has had a huge impact on how his attacking third has since unfolded. Against Arsenal, United managed to secure the win by making good use of the line-up.
(4) Take advantage of speed
In the end, it was an attack that made use of speed. Rashford scored his team’s second and third goals. He also assisted on Antony’s goal, which was a great success with two goals and one assist. Rashford started at centre-forward, but when he scored, Ronaldo came out on top and Rashford switched positions to wing. United equalised in the 60th minute thanks to Saka’s goal, but managed to score their second goal in the 66th minute thanks to a superb Rashford line break. Bruno, who made key passes, also had great passing skills, but against Arsenal, who had the ball and dominated the game, their counter-attack with speed was effective.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe third goal in the 75th minute came shortly after Arsenal’s three-shot changeover. United scored before they could respond to the system change, but the way Eriksen jumped out to the back the box the moment Bruno had the ball and Rashford’s move to follow the move was spectacular. Eriksen, in particular, noticed very early on the space created in Arsenal’s defensive line. It was a goal born of sprinting into space and concentration not missing any chances. Rashford are very strong against the big six, but they seem to be enjoying playing with the trust of coach Ten Hague. He scored an assist against Leicester, but his performance was poor and he gave a dry evaluation. (lol) The match against Arsenal was a match in which Rashford’s strengths came out with a play that made the most of his teammates at the top, his line-breaking moves on the wing. It’s not a full comeback yet, but I get the impression that the range of play has expanded a bit.
*Click here for the previous leg against Leicester.
👿 Conclusion
Antony scored a goal on his United debut. His technique, his judgment of play, his coordination with Dalot, his body language were great, but his defensive style was also great in terms of pressing and going back to his own half. He came down to the bench in the relatively early 57th minute, but it was his debut match with a perfect score of 100 points in terms of winning the hearts of the supporters. Personally, Eriksen and Rashford also had their best performances of the season. Eriksen in particular deserves a high football IQ, ball skills and leadership. Eriksen has recorded a team-high three key passes and four SCAs, and a ball-carrying record of 33. I’ve mentioned four points as “secrets” in a bit of exaggeration this time (lol), but I have a feeling that the hotline of Eriksen and Bruno will be a symbolic unit in United’s attack this season.
Although it was not included in the secret plan this time, it can be commended in that the substitution in the second half also worked as the coach intended. In particular, the idea of placing the fledge at the top and bottom to increase the pressing strength from the front was excellent. With Casemiro further back, it would have been difficult for the Gunners to break the goal. Ronaldo is still in good shape, but we can expect him to explode in the future, as he creates a shot up front and is greedy for goals.
Embed from Getty ImagesDefeating the strong side Arsenal, who made the opening dash of the season, 3-1 should have given us a lot of confidence. The team’s unanimous attitude has been able to continue since the match against Liverpool, and communication between the players is quite frequent. I think that the fact that we have won four in a row and won also improves the atmosphere of the team, but I would like this attitude to continue at all times and make it a standard for each player to work hard for the team.
As a result of this match, United moved up to fifth place. They are three points behind leaders Arsenal.
Their next match is the Europa League group stage first round match against Real Sociedad at Old Trafford Trafford. Kick-off 9 September at 4:00. Came on! United!!
Thank you for reading until the end!
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