Mata And Carrick Should Start: 3 Things Mourinho Needs To Do To Win Against Arsenal This Weekend

The run for the Premier League championship is getting more and more exciting by the day, as contenders keep winning and the room for mistakes keeps getting narrower after every weekend, and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to change at all during this second half of the season.

Today, we’ll take a look at one of the most interesting matches of this week, as two great teams with different presents face off in a must-win match for both parties. Manchester United welcomes Arsene Wenger’s team at Old Trafford this Sunday.

Arsenal is currently sitting at the fourth spot of the table, while Mourinho’s side is still a couple of spots behind them, so they definitely need to take the three points at home if they want to go back to the top 5 and compete for a spot in this upcoming UEFA Champions League. So, it’s time to analyse this matchup and discuss the 3 things Manchester United needs to do in order to beat Arsenal at home this weekend.

Explode the left flank

Arsenal is currently having a major concern, as Hector Bellerin recently suffered an injury while being on international duty with Spain, and they’re going to have great problems to fill the void that the talented youngster will leave in their starting XI.

Even if Anthony Martial and Luke Shaw aren’t having a good season whatsoever, both are really talented in the offensive end, and we believe that the most intelligent thing to do would be to run the offensive game through them to make the most of Bellerin’s absence.

Start Juan Mata

Manchester United are having a 100% win record whenever Mata is deployed in the starting berth and that is what Mourinho needs to consider. Mata is in a fine form this season and is easily an upgrade for Rooney, hence, Mourinho needs to be careful while picking up the squad. He may not be the threat while playing on the wings, but is a pure venom while playing as number 1o.

Last but not least, this guy’s been one of the lone bright spots in Manchester United this season, even if he hasn’t had a lot of playing time to contribute for Mourinho’s side so far, but he’s more than capable to make an instant impact for the red devils when given the chance.

Start Michael Carrick

Ironically, Fellaini’s injury could actually be a great boost for the Red Devils, as the Belgian’s been having an awful season, and they could definitely use the talent of the veteran midfielder, who’s more than capable to put some order in that messy centre of the pitch.

Mourinho’s been reluctant to start the 35-year-old, as he doesn’t seem to trust the legs of an ageing man. However, in the four matches that Carrick has stepped up, he’s shown that he still has a lot to offer for his team, and they’re going to need all the help they can get if they want to slow down a really good Arsenal side.