Arsenal vs Manchester United: 4 Man Utd players who will worry Arsenal | FA Cup 2018-19
The FA Cup on Friday night will provide another opportunity to see Manchester United and Arsenal take to the field once again. These two teams were in the middle of supremacy battles back in the mid ’90s and early 2000s.
This was mainly because of their legendary managers, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
To date, most fans of both teams still consider a match between these two giants to be one of the toughest games of the season.
Arsenal, fresh from their convincing 2-0 win against Chelsea, are brimming with confidence, as they should after winning such a big game.
Manchester United on the other hand, is on a run of seven wins, and they too are brimming with confidence. As both teams are in high confidence, the match is expected to be full of entertainment.
Since the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Manchester United players have looked in high spirits, and their performances have been proof. But Arsenal will provide a much sterner test than any side they have met under the Norwegian boss.
The team has looked quite vulnerable at the back in their last two games, and Arsenal will have taken note of that. If United are to come out on top, some players will have to bring their A game.
Here are some players Arsenal should be watchful of in their game against the Red Devils.
#1 Jesse Lingard
One of the most underrated players in the United squad today, Jesse Lingard simply doesn’t receive as many accolades as his teammates. But there’s a reason why Manchester United managers keep on playing him.
He’s tactically astute, and keeps the team shape than most of the young players in the United squad. He also works his socks off, both on and off the ball in every game. If you look at how Ole Gunnar has been playing the team, Jesse Lingard plays a unique and important role for them.
He usually starts on the right of the front three, but drifts infield throughout the game, since the main striker, Rashford, likes to work the channels. With him doing that, he ensures that there’s always a player to receive the ball when it plays through the middle.
In essence - Lingard makes sure the shape of the team is kept, and also when they are defending, it becomes easy with him on the field thanks to his positional sense. Arsenal will want to keep track of him, as he will drag his marker all over, leaving spaces on Arsenal’s left flank for United to exploit.