Frustrate Rooney
The England striker has had a torrid season and it is likely that he will step in for the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
This alone is great news for Arsenal, as although he hasn’t hit the heights of previous seasons, Rooney is still one of United’s most dangerous attacking player.
Playing up front for United, the spotlight will really be on Rooney, and many of the fans are beginning to grow tired of his poor performances and the poor return they are seeing on the 300k per week contract he is on. Rooney also looks like he is struggling for confidence.
So if Arsenal stays tight on him, and force mistakes, it is very likely that he will struggle for the duration of the match, leaving Manchester United without an attacking focal point.
Frustrate The Old Trafford Crowd
When Mourinho went to Manchester United, it was seen as them sacrificing one cornerstone of the club’s philosophy in order to build on another.
That is, losing the attacking, exciting style that we have become used to from Manchester United teams, in order to build on their illustrious history of winning trophies. And Mourinho, as a serial winner, is supposed to do that.
However, this gives him a very short leash and if they aren’t winning and aren’t entertaining, Manchester United fans have every reason to feel aggrieved. By setting an early tempo, and stopping the Manchester United team from playing, Arsenal will start to set the murmurs of discontent ringing around Old Trafford.