[Siorac]

Have either of you watched Arsenal during this season or in pre season?
Honestly, what on earth are you on about?

People were similarly incredulous when faced with pessimism ahead of the Anfield game last season, and asked similar questions.

 

[VP89]

People were similarly incredulous when faced with pessimism ahead of the Anfield game last season, and asked similar questions.

So? Do you want me to mention games we went in as huge underdogs with long odds and ended up winning?

 

[Cassidy]

Have either of you watched Arsenal during this season or in pre season?
Honestly, what on earth are you on about?

If we are as open as we have been in any of our games this season we will be in big trouble

 

[tomaldinho1]

I personally think they look very average, the issue is we seem so mentally weak it's impossible to know which United turn up. If it's the team who turned out at Wolves we could be on the end of a cricket score, if it's second half Nottingham Forest I think we'll overpower them.

 

[lex talionis]

Interesting that we're knocking out our two North London fixtures so early in the season. Hopefully we can get one win out of the two.

 

[Witchking]

Perfect team for Arsenal to get back in to form.

 

[Chip]

3-1 Arsenal.

They don't even look particularly strong, but we are absolutely pathetic at the moment. Onana looking shaky, half of our defense injured, midfield with no legs/out of form, and no goal threat up front.

Out of the whole squad only AWB and Bruno look close to being in form.

 

[jesperjaap]

They have actually been in pretty tight games irrelevant of all the results. DOn tthink they have started that well.....but they are still passign the ball about well and with how open we have looked, es. We especially on the break....and with our injuries, anybody confident either has a crystal ball or is wearing a blindfold

 

[Hester_manc]

2-0 Arsenal.
Onana
AWB..Lindelöf.Martinez..Dalot

...........Casemiro.Eriksen.............
...................Bruno.....................

Antony............................Sancho
...................Rashford

 

[Xaviboy]

Expecting to be beaten and beaten well.

 

[RedorDead21]

I’m going for Arsenal in our last man standing comp just so I’m not completely moody after this..

 

[bosskeano]

the pain and smugness of having to listen to and deal with arsenal supporters and those twats on AFTV.....ffs. just don't see us getting a result against this lot

 

[Shimo]

Nowhere near pessimistic as most it seems. Do think if we go with the attitude we play "our way", which is to play Eriksen next to Casemiro to start for this, then we will be in for a lot tougher evening than it's already going to be.

If last season taught us anything in away games, especially against the top sides, we need to be a little more pragmatic until we can consistently show we can play our football. That's something we've not done well even at home to start this season.

Lindelof for injured Varane and McTominay next to Case to provide legs in midfield next to him. In the first half pick and choose our moments to press as a team but, otherwise just keep it tight. At half time bring Hojlund for Martial if he has it in him for a half to then step up the press and then look to bring on Garnacho / Sancho as needed in attack. Eriksen to come on to either help on the creation side if we are behind later and/or to just bring calm/control on the ball if we are closing the game out.

 

[Amadaeus]

Does 6pts from 9 available need turning round?

if you watched the games, it could have easily been 0 points from 9. Only the last game did we deserve a win I would say. our Performances definitely need a turn around

 

[Plant0x84]

if you watched the games, it could have easily been 0 points from 9. Only the last game did we deserve a win I would say. our Performances definitely need a turn around

You said season, not performances. Also it’s 6 from 9 not 0 from 9 so let’s not get our knickers in a twist over something that literally hasn’t happened. Hopefully performances will improve but I do think we might take a hiding against Arsenal unfortunately.

 

[erikcred]

Perfect team for Arsenal to get back in to form.

That's what I feared before our first match against Liverpool last season. Let's trust ETH and see what happens.

 

[MyBloodIsRed]

Would hav been excited for this if we had properly recruited this summer. Hojlund earlier, Pavard, Amrabat, etc... UGH.

Rapha being out now just makes us look even dumber for not getting Pavard. FECK!

 

[Amadaeus]

You said season, not performances. Also it’s 6 from 9 not 0 from 9 so let’s not get our knickers in a twist over something that literally hasn’t happened. Hopefully performances will improve but I do think we might take a hiding against Arsenal unfortunately.

If we performed like we did the first few games we will definitely take a hiding . But then again, Arsenal hasnt been that fantastic either. Havertz makes their team look unbalanced, Arteta experimenting too much and their defense is leaky. I misspoke and meant performance, which needs to be improved and turned around.

I can see Arsenal playing into our hands like the first time we met them last season. We will just sit back and counter with our pace. Even though ETH is suppose to bring a possession based footballing style, I can imagine that is how it will go. I may be wrong and we actually dominate Arsenal in all areas.

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

-------------------Onana-----------------
AWB--Lindelof--Licha-----Dalot
-----------McT--------Casemiro-----
Antony-------Bruno--------Rashford
-------------------Martial------------------

It's not that weak of a team. I've changed my mind: we are winning this 2 goals to 1.

 

[Leftback99]

Away against top half opposition. We know what this means.

 

[gajender]

We will do them 3- 1 United .

 

[Salfordlad70]

I'll need a significant number of pints in me to watch this one.

before, during and after.

 

[Slevs]

Might not be the best game for me to sign up for streaming service. I'll find a link and subscribe next week

 

[Hughes35]

It's sad seeing Utd going to yet another season just hoping desperately for any sort of performance against a decent team rather than expecting a competitive game.

Hopefully we nick something but really wouldn't be surprised if we collapsed and got spanked 4 or 5 to be honest. We have been worse than bad so far this season and very lucky to have 6 points.

 

[VP89]

Perfect team for Arsenal to get back in to form.

How so?
Do you actually know how this seasons Arsenal cope when teams go at them? Genuine quesiton

 

[Siorac]

So? Do you want me to mention games we went in as huge underdogs with long odds and ended up winning?

No, I'm familiar. But our away record under Ten Hagy as well as our recent record at Emirates suggests we're in for a beating. Even if Arsenal started the season shakily, we've been much worse and we're a worse team, too.

I hope we get something but on paper this is a home banker.

 

[VP89]

No, I'm familiar. But our away record under Ten Hagy as well as our recent record at Emirates suggests we're in for a beating. Even if Arsenal started the season shakily, we've been much worse and we're a worse team, too.

I hope we get something but on paper this is a home banker.

I disagree massively that we've been much worse than them. Il say it again with the game breakdown:

-wolves shite
- spurs we were great for 45 and shite for 45
- Forrest great from 5-85mins.


Arsenal did well enough vs Palace but threw Fulham and looked blunt vs Forrest. They are not looking much better than us.

I also think they have vulnerability if teams actually go at them and the "perfect" side for them is the ones that try and see out the game defending most of the time. Our style appears to be targeted chaos, which yes if not implemented correctly can lead to genuine chaos, but I think Arsenal will not be comfortable with that ilk of game

 

[Gordon Godot]

I disagree massively that we've been much worse than them. Il say it again with the game breakdown:

-wolves shite
- spurs we were great for 45 and shite for 45
- Forrest great from 5-85mins.


Arsenal did well enough vs Palace but threw Fulham and looked blunt vs Forrest. They are not looking much better than us.

I also think they have vulnerability if teams actually go at them and the "perfect" side for them is the ones that try and see out the game defending most of the time. Our style appears to be targeted chaos, which yes if not implemented correctly can lead to genuine chaos, but I think Arsenal will not be comfortable with that ilk of game

Lets have some perspective. Wolves are terrible, got thrashed in their next game. We were outplayed. I think 'great' for 45 minutes is an exaggeration, I would say fine and close to what we might expect. We started appallingly against Forest and still needed a slightly dodgy penalty to beat them. We were not 'great' in any sense, against a team that will be battling relegation all season. Also breaking games down into segments is irrelevant, its the 90 minutes that count.

 

[Wilt]

-------------------Onana-----------------
AWB--Lindelof--Licha-----Dalot
-----------McT--------Casemiro-----
Antony-------Bruno--------Rashford
-------------------Martial------------------

It's not that weak of a team. I've changed my mind: we are winning this 2 goals to 1.

”You cannot be serious!”

 

[VP89]

Lets have some perspective. Wolves are terrible, got thrashed in their next game. We were outplayed. I think 'great' for 45 minutes is an exaggeration, I would say fine and close to what we might expect. We started appallingly against Forest and still needed a slightly dodgy penalty to beat them. We were not 'great' in any sense, against a team that will be battling relegation all season. Also breaking games down into segments is irrelevant, its the 90 minutes that count.

Yes let's take the context. Wolves are actually not terrible, if you saw the game they went on to be thrashed in youl see they should have actually been ahead vs Brighton in the first 45.

Arsenals opening 3 fixtures are gifts and they have not been tested vs a Spurs level as yet. I think our performance was actually pretty great in the first 45 given we should have been two up. Away from home vs a top 6 side that pretty much never happened.

And yes we had a bad 5 mins vs Forrest but that's not representative of the game and you know it.

 

[JJ12]

Is Hojlund expected in the squad?

 

[cyberman]

Lets have some perspective. Wolves are terrible, got thrashed in their next game. We were outplayed. I think 'great' for 45 minutes is an exaggeration, I would say fine and close to what we might expect. We started appallingly against Forest and still needed a slightly dodgy penalty to beat them. We were not 'great' in any sense, against a team that will be battling relegation all season. Also breaking games down into segments is irrelevant, its the 90 minutes that count.

Penalty wasn’t slightly dodgy though

 

[roonster09]

Penalty wasn’t slightly dodgy though

Amazing isn't it, so many videos are posted which shows it's a clear penalty there are few who still thinks its a dodgy penalty.

 

[Siorac]

I disagree massively that we've been much worse than them. Il say it again with the game breakdown:

-wolves shite
- spurs we were great for 45 and shite for 45
- Forrest great from 5-85mins.


Arsenal did well enough vs Palace but threw Fulham and looked blunt vs Forrest. They are not looking much better than us.

I also think they have vulnerability if teams actually go at them and the "perfect" side for them is the ones that try and see out the game defending most of the time. Our style appears to be targeted chaos, which yes if not implemented correctly can lead to genuine chaos, but I think Arsenal will not be comfortable with that ilk of game

I hope you're right but I still expect a 3-0 Arsenal win or something similar. They will control the midfield, that's a given, and our back four will be very vulnerable due to the injuries.

 

[Dannn411]

This game will tell us a lot about Ten Hag and whether he has really learnt anything in his time here or not. If he stubbornly sticks to the way we have played in the first three games, we are going to get destroyed. If he adapts, it might be respectable.

 

[redshaw]

Both teams not looking great but I can see Arsenal turning on all their efforts.

Would be a huge help if Hojlund could play

 

[VP89]

I hope you're right but I still expect a 3-0 Arsenal win or something similar. They will control the midfield, that's a given, and our back four will be very vulnerable due to the injuries.

They will want the game to be played in their midfield as they are strong there. We won't focus on midfield possession retention. I believe ten hag wants midfielders who can press well and unsettle the other team. If they have the ball he clearly wants them to break rapidly on the opposition, so it will be an interesting battle for sure.

I am not sure who will prevail but I just disagree that we are some perfect opponent for them. In many ways it is the opposite. Because we won't sit back and let them dictate the ball as easily as Forrest, Palace and Fulham have.

 

[AngeloHenriquez]

Both teams not looking great but I can see Arsenal turning on all their efforts.

Would be a huge help if Hojlund could play

I suspect he will be available but highly unlikely he starts, with Varane, Shaw, Mainoo, Amad and others out I think we will start with an intention to counter and go with

Onana
AWB Lindelof Martinez Dalot
Casemiro Eriksen
Antony Bruno Rashford
Martial

Depending on how the game goes, I can see Mctominay on around 50 mins for Eriksen, Hojlund for Martial on the hour mark as we know he can't play longer than that and Sancho or Garnacho with 15 mins to go

 

[Gordon Godot]

I suspect he will be available but highly unlikely he starts, with Varane, Shaw, Mainoo, Amad and others out I think we will start with an intention to counter and go with

Onana
AWB Lindelof Martinez Dalot
Casemiro Eriksen
Antony Bruno Rashford
Martial

Depending on how the game goes, I can see Mctominay on around 50 mins for Eriksen, Hojlund for Martial on the hour mark as we know he can't play longer than that and Sancho or Garnacho with 15 mins to go

If that team starts we will get dominated and risk a thrashing. Martial is a passenger, Arsenal will bypass midfield with ease.

 

[astracrazy]

I suspect he will be available but highly unlikely he starts, with Varane, Shaw, Mainoo, Amad and others out I think we will start with an intention to counter and go with

Onana
AWB Lindelof Martinez Dalot
Casemiro Eriksen
Antony Bruno Rashford
Martial

Depending on how the game goes, I can see Mctominay on around 50 mins for Eriksen, Hojlund for Martial on the hour mark as we know he can't play longer than that and Sancho or Garnacho with 15 mins to go

Having Erikson (no legs) and Rashford (lazy) on the left side of the pitch would be a disaster and leave Dalot overrun for this match imo. Either replace Erikson with Bruno or Rashford with Anthony (Rashford goes upfront)