Premier League Title Race: 5 Reasons Arsenal Can Beat Manchester United
Five points: That’s the current difference between Arsenal and Manchester United in the English Premier League but Arsenal still have one game in hand over the Red Devils which happens to be against fierce rivals, Tottenham Hotspurs.
Arsenal’s season hopes rest on the Premier League after being eliminated from the remaining three competitions in a matter of just two weeks. Manchester United had the honors of dumping Arsenal out of the FA Cup thanks to a 2-0 win at the Old Trafford.
Arsenal’s recent run of poor results as seen them slip in the title race, it is far from over as some people are starting to believe. Arsenal still have a good chance of lifting the league. However they also have an equal chance of slipping down to third place as Chelsea continue their recent resurgence.
Arsenal have missed some great opportunities to go ahead of United thanks to injuries to key players and a string of poor results. Arsenal are currently missing Djourou, Vermaelen, Fabianski and Szczesny all of whom will most probably miss the entire season. Had Arsene Wenger signed a centre back in January, then Arsenal wouldn’t be facing this current predicament.
But all is not lost and in this article, I will be looking into the reasons why Arsenal can still mount a late surge and lift the title and thus ending their barren run that has now stretched for five seasons.
Arsenal at Their Best are Unplayable
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Every season it is said that Arsenal can beat any team on their day. This season finally we got some proof as Arsenal beat both Barcelona and Chelsea at the Emirates, not something Arsenal fans have been accustomed to off late.
In both cases, Arsenal had a fully fit attacking line up boasting the likes of van Persie, Fabregas, Nasri and Walcott. While van Persie and Nasri are currently fit, Walcott, Song and Fabregas are primed to return following the international break.
Walcott has finally started performing up to potential this season and has already notched up an impressive 11 goals this season which is all the more good considering his injury worries. Moreover he has put in impressive performances in the matches against Chelsea and Barcelona and has not shied away from the big stage.
Fabregas adds a certain creativity and vision to the Arsenal side that no Arsenal player can match on the pitch for the time being. Moreover he is Arsenal’s captain, and while his leadership skills have been the focus of much debate, he still remains the closest thing Arsenal have to a leader at the moment.
Alex Song in my opinion is the most important of all these players. Arsenal are missing both Djourou and Vermaelen and while they have Koscielny still fit, his partnership with Squillaci is far from perfect. In Song’s absence up steps Denilson who has been truly poor or the frustrating Diaby.
Song’s return will add some much return stability to the squad and can reinvigorate Arsenal’s title hopes.
This season with a fit squad Arsenal have shown that they can put in some brilliant performances. It is also interesting to note that Arsenal have lost just once when starting with both van Persie and Fabregas which happened against Barcelona, the match in which van Persie was sent off.
Song’s return will strengthen Arsenal’s defense and the return of Fabregas and Walcott will add some spark and threat to Arsenal’s attack in the upcoming matches.
Arsenal have some tough matches against the likes of Spurs, Liverpool and Manchester United and a firing Arsenal can win all three clashes.
Arsenal Thrive When They Are the Underdogs
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With Arsenal five points behind United, Arsenal are by no means favorites to the title. While they have a chance of lifting the trophy they are in the current situation, the underdog to the title while the Red Devils are obviously the favorites.
There have been certain instances over the last two to three seasons, I have started to feel that Arsenal perform better when the weight of expectations are less.
Take for instance, the clash against Barcelona at the Emirates. While Arsenal had the potential to win, few really suspected they could win it and many expected them to face the brunt of another home defeat. But instead they put in an inspired performance and won the match. The same can be said about the Chelsea clash this season. Arsenal’s recent troubles against the other two contenders were a well documented fact and going into this match few so an Arsenal win.
But like the Barcelona match Arsenal surprised everyone and won the clash.
Even Arsenal’s title bids in 2007-08 and the 2009-10 surprised many.
It’s no guarantee that Arsenal will win purely because they are the underdogs but the less pressure may work to their advantage in their quest for their fourth league title and neither am I stating that when they are under pressure to win they always lose.
Manchester United’s Fixture List
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Robin van Persie recently came out and stated that elimination from the three cup competitions was actually good for the Gunners as it helped them to concentrate solely on the Premier League.
Let’s face it: it’s not all that great. Arsenal have had to deal with the disappointment of being eliminated from three different cups in a matter of two weeks and it is bound to have a detrimental impact on the mentality of the squad.
But it does have a slight advantage for the Gunners especially considering their constant injury worries. Arsenal have to now solely focus on the Premier League while Manchester United have a chance to achieve glory on three fronts.
The losses have affected Arsenal mentally but the fightback against WBA may act as a catalyst that could help the Gunners bounce back from recent disappointments. The return of some key players to could see the Gunners bounce back from this disappointment.
If Arsenal do bounce back, they do have the advantage of a lighter fixture when compared to that of United. Arsenal have just one midweek clash from here till May which is against Spurs.
United to have injuries worries of their own and the more packed fixture list could see them lose a few more players to injury something that Sir Alex Ferguson will not want during the title run in.
The Arsenal vs Manchester United Clash Is at the Emirates
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At one point it looked destined that the clash between Arsenal and Manchester United would decide the fate of the Premier League. But following Arsenal’s decline, many have boldly predicted that the title race will be wrapped up before the clash on May 1st.
But I beg to differ. I strongly believe that with the Arsenal squad looking set to improve, the Gunners can revive their current form and will remain firmly in the title hunt and will have every chance of winning the league, providing they defeat United.
I believe that Arsenal will be around two to three points behind United heading into this make or break clash.
Arsenal’s recent history against Manchester United is hardly pleasing if you are an Arsenal fan and the fact that Arsenal still have a game left against the Red Devils is worrisome for Arsenal fans. But this season there is for optimism going into the clash.
This season Arsenal’s home form was truly abysmal for a top four club as they succumbed to losses against Tottenham, Newcastle and West Bromwich Albion. But since November 20th, Arsenal are unbeaten at home in all competitions and this has included matches against Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester City among others.
Arsenal’s home form is not great this season but it is steadily on the rise. Also the Barcelona match showed that Arsenal’s fan can rise to the occasion as they rallied behind their team in great fashion and considering the fact that the title maybe at stake in this match expect them to be in full force this time around as well.
Manchester United’s away record is poor this season as they have lost thrice, drawn eight times and won just the four times. Also they have conceded 21 goals away from Old Trafford and have scored just 24 goals in the process.
Arsenal’s resurgent home form coupled with Manchester United’s poor away record could see Arsenal finally defeat Manchester United after being winless in the last seven.
Manchester United Too Have Their Concerns and Worries
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Now there has been a lot of talk about Arsenal’s downfall and how the Gunners have struggled. Arsenal have been fairly poor and it has been their defense that has come under severe criticism. Squillaci came under intense criticism for his mix up with Almunia but I believe that the mistake was more of Almunia’s fault than the Frenchman’s’.
While Arsenal’s defense will struggle without Djourou and Vermaelen, I also believe that United’s defense is far from perfect. There have been some glaring errors in the United defense in the absence of Vidic. Currently both Vidic and Ferdinand are out injured.
That means United are only left with Smalling as a really good centre back. With Johnny Evans suspended and with Brown not impressing to say the least, United too have their defensive worries.
While the Arsenal defense has been heavily criticized this season it is interesting to note that United have conceded a goal more than Arsenal.
Now I am not meaning to take anything away from United but they have hardly been dominating. They have been scrappy at times and have squeaked through thanks to grit and questionable refereeing decisions to a certain extent.
But they have been the most consistent side they have not excelled and they too still have their gaping holes which also includes the lack of a proper creative midfielder.
Arsenal should look to exploit United’s weaknesses and can still win the league despite all odds.
