The clash of the weekend sees Manchester United host Arsenal and with Champions League football all but guaranteed for both the teams, it would then be a tale of Louis Van Gaal’s team trying to get revenge for the FA Cup defeat at Old Trafford by Arsenal.
Van Gaal certainly has picked up his team in the second half of the season and barring the trio of consecutive losses that they had in between, the club has played some decent football or at least has gotten the results to ensure that they make it back to the Premier League. United have had a plethora of talent like Di Maria and Falcao not firing at all and that would be a headache for Van Gaal as he prepares to face Arsenal in what is to be a tasty tie. Van Gaal does have a decent record against the top teams this season and we look at 3 things the Dutchman would have to do to ensure he beats the team from London.
Keep a tight leash on Alexis Sanchez
Manchester United will have to mark Alexis Sanchez really tightly, the Chilean has been in superb form since he joined the club and the Red Devils would have to ensure he has a quite game for any chance of winning the game. Sanchez is the go to guy for Arsenal and while tracking him would hurt the overall formation of Manchester United, nullifying the effect of Alexis is a far more important thing for United to deal with.
The midfield needs to overrun Arsenal’s
The Arsenal midfield would probably contain the tough tackling Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla pulling the strings, either way Manchester United would need to dominate all the midfield battles, if it is Blind and Carrick or Blind and Herrera, they need to be able to control the midfield. The tempo and speed of play by the Manchester United midfield would be absolutely pivotal for them to win the game. Carrick would have to play at his best and it will be an intriguing battle to see when Blind faces up against Coquelin.
A little physicality
Everyone knows that Manchester United can play with those long balls pumped up to Marouane Fellaini, they can also take it to another level and play more physically against Arsenal. The Gunners do not like to be bullied and that is a tactic that Manchester United should utilise when they face the team from London. United have the likes of Blind, Rojo, Fellaini and Rooney, they are some of the toughest players out there in the Premier League and if they go about it correctly, they can get an upper hand against their rivals.