Arsenal 2-0 Manchester United: Three Things We Learned

Manchester United started the 2020s with a comfortable loss to Arsenal at the Emirates, as the hosts did well enough to secure the victory inside of the first half: 2-0. Nicolas Pepe scored early on to put Arsenal in the lead, whilst Sokratis doubled their lead just before half-time after a bad defensive sequence from set-pieces.

Afterwards, United tried to somehow get closer and back into the game, but they did not create many good chances and it became obvious quite early on that this will be a tough one for earning a single point, let alone winning. Mikel Arteta, on the other hand, got the first win in his managerial career against a big rival.

Not a good start to the year.

Poor Decisions From Solskjaer

This match went the way many thought it could almost an hour before the match. The reason for that was the lineup Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted for, making some, seemingly, unnecessary changes to the starting lineup. Simply put, Solskjaer got his selection wrong. After several good performances from younger players, he opted for Luke Shaw and Jesse Lingard.

Brandon Williams was left behind, whilst Lingard showed once again why he did not have a goal or an assist in Premier League throughout the 2019. He continued that trend, whilst Andreas Pereira was not on the pitch after a couple of matches where he ended up creating goals. Momentum amongst youngsters is not going to be built up so easily after such shifts in selection.

Set Piece Issues Tell A Deeper Story

Manchester United conceded an easy goal after a set-piece which should not have happened. It was frustrating to see David De Gea palm out the ball following a corner kick right to Sokratis to double the lead, but that made us thinking. This was yet another easy goal Man United have conceded this season – or these seasons, if you wish – but also, on the other end of the pitch, United seldom score from these situations.

Some might say this is just pure luck or lack of it, but it is not. It is a simple lack of a focus as a result of the lack of a real plan. United defend set-pieces poorly because they are not being practiced enough and that is the easiest way of seeing what is a deeper situation at the club and with the manager. Marco Silva had the same problem at Everton, whilst serious sides like Liverpool or Man City do very well in front of both goals, just in different ways.

Bad Start To A Crucial Month

Manchester United already played their first match in January and they will have another six this month. Apart from getting into a bad mood at the turn of the year, it was also a match that showed how much United will miss McTominay and Pogba.

It looks like they will not return to action soon enough and there is yet again the sense that Pogba really wants to leave the club. Nemanja Matic and Fred played in the middle of the park and neither did well enough. Fred obviously lacked rest and Matic’s mixture of lack of action and poor form showed. With two games against Manchester City, a Liverpool clash and a trip to Wolverhampton, there will be plenty of challenges for this side to overcome.

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