Arsenal FC vs. Manchester United: 5 Things We Learned from Arsenal's Win
While Arsenal’s wait for a trophy might stretch to next season at least they have finally conquered Manchester United after failing in their past seven attempts and some of them miserably.
But this time Arsenal exceeded expectations with a performance that exuded confidence, maturity and defensive stability.
Considering Arsenal’s recent form and their poor form against United, I felt that despite this one being a home game, Arsenal were going to lose this one and at most escape with a win. But Arsene Wenger and his side delivered to reignite the faintest hopes of finishing first and have continued their push for second which is currently being occupied by the resurgent Chelsea.
At one point this was billed as the title decided but the recent collapse by Arsenal has seen Chelsea usurp them and move into second. And it was Chelsea who will be delighted with this result as it gives them some hope of shocking the world and winning the league with them traveling to Old Trafford next week.
It was Aaron Ramsey who gave Arsenal the win after finishing off some fine work by van Persie. Arsenal’s defense of Koscielny and Djourou was great and was not outshone by their more illustrious counter parts in Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.
Considering United’s recent form this will come as a great victory for Arsenal who have done themselves and Chelsea a huge favour.
Here is a look at the five things we learned from this encounter at the Emirates.
Expect Aaron Ramsey to Explode Next Season
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On 27th February, Aaron Ramsey’s career was handed a huge blow when Ryan Shawcross’ challenge saw him out for an indefinite period. After a couple of loan spells at Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City, Aaron Ramsey made his first appearance for Arsenal against Manchester United in the FA Cup.
His first start came against West Bromwich Albion in the League as he struggled to impress. But thanks to Cesc Fabregas’ injury, Ramsey was drafted into the central playmaker role. Ever since signing for Arsenal back in 2008, he has been touted as the future replacement for Arsenal’s captain, Cesc Fabregas, were he to leave the club that signed him as a 16-year-old from his boyhood club, Barcelona.
But with the career threatening injury to Ramsey, there was some doubt regarding whether or not he could reach the heights that many predicted he would. But based on this performance, he showed that Arsenal fans need not fear an encore of the Eduardo incident.
Ramsey is bound to get plenty of opportunities next season whether Fabregas stays or not. If he does leave, Ramsey may be used as the replacement immediately and if he does stay, then the persistent injuries to Fabregas will give Ramsey plenty of opportunities.
Ramsey was fantastic against United. He slotted the only goal of the match to give the Gunners their first win over Manchester United since 2008 with a great first time shot that gave Van Der Saar no chance whatsoever.
Apart from the goal, he moved in seamlessly into the central midfield role linking up well with van Persie, who provided him with the assist for the goal as well as Jack Wilshere. He was bright when counter attacking after the Gunners took the lead and tracked back well to help the defense.
He did not give much away and was tidy with the ball in his feet.
Ramsey showed that he has enough in him to overcome his injury scare as he put in another gusty performance that gave Arsenal a well deserved three points.
Laurent Koscielny Is a Beast
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Prior to this season, Laurent Koscielny had spent just one season in the top flight of any league, having played for Lorient last season in the French Ligue 1. Hardly anyone had heard of him when he was signed by Arsene Wenger at the start of the season.
After enduring a hard start to the season that saw him pick up red cards against Newcastle and Liverpool, people were quick to label him another Wenger flop. They blasted Wenger for signing an unknown defender when he should have signed a more experienced one.
But as the season progressed he has gone from strength to strength and I feel has been better than the solid Johan Djourou off late. His partnership with Sebastian Squillaci might send shivers down the spines of Arsenal fans but his partnership with Djourou has been brilliant save for the occasional poor performance.
On Sunday against an in form Manchester United attack, the Arsenal duo were more than up to the task as they dealt with anything and everything that came their way. Koscielny especially caught my eye as he put in another performance that convinced me that he was a great buy.
His tackles were fantastic and he thrived against the likes of Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez as he and Djourou hardly gave the United attackers a sniff at goal.
His contributions as Arsenal looked to go on the counter attack should be forgotten as well. His impeccable tacking at times opened up plenty of space for Arsenal to counter.
His heading has always been one of his stronger points and it proved to be the same once again as he dominated the air with some stronger headers and some good physical play.
In recent times it has been Johan Djourou who has been receiving plenty of plaudits for his impeccable performances but it has been Koscielny who has been on fire and the same was the case against Manchester United.
Arsenal Fans Owe Andrei Arshavin an Apology
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Against Leeds United in the third round of the FA Cup, he had a disastrous outing as nothing went right for the enigmatic Russian. This season there have been several complaints against the Russian despite holding 10 goals to his name as well as 18 assists. On top of the list lies his inability to track back and help out his full back which usually happens to be Gael Clichy.
But on Sunday he showed that he is just as dedicated to the Arsenal cause as the others with a fantastic display with his defensive contributions being massive to say the least. Never have I seen such a hardworking performance from the Russian and it just showed the will of the players to finally win a match after a rough patch that had seen them fall to third.
After replacing Samir Nasri, who tweaked his hamstring at half time, he was superb both while helping Arsenal and more importantly he was instrumental in keeping Antonio Valencia in check.
His tackles were brilliant and he constantly pressed the right back and won the ball back on several occasions that led to some of Arsenal’s counter attack attempts.
Against Leeds United, he failed to track back, he gave up all to easily and he was plain bad. Against United, when his team needed it, the Russian rose to the occasion with a brilliant defensive performance as he marshalled the left side well and did not let the United attack exploit Clichy’s defensive frailties.
Arsenal fans booed the Russian, an act that they should be embarrassed about and today he showed why he is so valuable to the team with a fantastic performance.
Arsene Wenger Will Persist with the 4-2-3-1 No Matter What and Rightfully So
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Prior to the match, many, including me, felt that Wenger needed to use the 4-4-2 for Arsenal to get anything out of the match. After all Arsenal had lost the tactical battle in the last seven matches against United. That run of seven games featured six losses and one draw with Arsenal scoring a mere three goals while United racked up 13 goals.
But before the match despite the absence of Fabregas, Wenger persisted with the 4-2-3-1 formation that yielded great results against Chelsea and Barcelona, and it worked as Arsenal scored a well worked goal to hand United their fourth away defeat this season.
But this time the 4-2-3-1 formation worked despite the absence of Fabregas. This time Arsenal did not go out on an all out attack plan but they worked their carefully and looked to prevent United hitting the counter as much as possible. United did briefly threaten on the counter at times but they were largely ineffective on the occasional times they did go on the counter.
In recent times the 4-2-3-1 formation has failed against the likes of Sunderland, Blackburn and many felt that the same would happen again but this time Wenger silenced his critics as he once again proved that matches can be won by his way.
Many felt that Marouane Chamakh needs to start in order to give Arsenal some unpredictability and in the end it proved that it the fears were unfounded. Arsenal scored a goal that exemplified the philosophy believed by Wenger as United lost the ball and Arsenal went forward quickly and van Persie held the ball up well in the box that allowed Ramsey to peel off Park Ji Sung and score a goal with a well placed and caressed first time shot.
While Wenger has been extensively criticized for his rigidity and inflexibility when it comes to tactics, he stuck with the formation that helped Arsenal conquer Chelsea and Barcelona.
United did have their moments and they were few while Arsenal held firm for most of the time and Wenger once again showed his numerous critics that United and any other team can be beaten with free flowing football and Arsenal’s current tactics can beat any team.
Arsenal Need Alex Song in Their Team to Be Successful
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Arsenal play a style of game that involves plenty of attacking and it is rare to see the team sit back and look to soak up the pressure. So all this means that many times half the team goes out venturing forward which does leave their defenders exposed especially against a team like United who look to score on the break.
This is where Alex Song comes in and on Sunday he highlighted his importance to the team with a hardworking show in which he shielded his defense with great effect and put in some crucial tackles.
He might have conceded a few free kicks with a few fouls but he gave the defense plenty of time to reorganize and he was there everywhere making crucial blocks and interceptions.
In Arsenal’s formation they require a player who can play the defensive midfielder role to great effect and that is where Song delivers the goods. Ever since the departure of Patrick Vieira, Arsenal have lacked an effective defensive midfielder who can shield the defense and based on performances like this, Song is that man for the Gunners.
His importance to the team rises exponentially largely due to the absence of a solid replacement. His replacements are usually Denilson or Diaby and to be honest both players are just not good enough to replace Song. And that combined with the injury to the promising Emmanuel Frimpong made him extremely important for Arsenal.
Arsenal will need Song to continue firing if they are to be successful in the coming years.
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