FA Cup 2018-19: 4 Reasons why Arsenal could defeat Manchester United at the Emirates
With a convincing win against Chelsea just last week, Arsenal look fresh and are seemingly ready to go the distance under Unai Emery. On the other hand, Ole has won 7 games out of the 7 he managed being a Manchester United manager.
Both the teams have been on top form lately, though Arsenal has shown much lack of motivation while playing away from home. So, as they are playing Manchester United at home, I feel this is going to be Manchester United's first defeat under Ole.
Emery and co are back to their best, as they shattered Chelsea to bits last week, though the scoreline says otherwise. Arsenal completely dominated the first half, going with a 2 goal lead into the second half, and Emery had his plans clear for the rest 45 minutes; defend with discipline and as a team.
There are quite a few reasons why I think Arsenal will go into the next round of the FA Cup beating Manchester United, and without further ado, let's get straight into it.
#4 Unai Emery has found the perfect formation for Arsenal
The gaffer has been trying every formation available at Arsenal since the time he joined Arsenal. He started his Arsenal tenure with a 4-3-3 formation, but later changed to a 3-4-3 and he kept switching for every game. Unai Emery is a coach who prepares differently for every team and does not have a confirm starting eleven.
However, he played a 4-4-2 against Chelsea, with Ramsey taking up the number 10 role and Guendouzi, Granit Xhaka, and Torreira protecting the back line. This formation absolutely paid off for Arsenal as they not only kept a clean sheet against a side like Chelsea but also restricted them to only 1 shot on target in the whole 90 minutes; a big feat for the Arsenal defenders, considering the number of goals they have let in this season.
The center-back pair of Sokratis and Koscienly was rock-solid for the Gunners, and they are likely to start every game from now on. Also, Ramsey played an impactful role as a number 10. Defensively, he was all over the pitch, and closely man-marked Jorginho the whole game, leaving Chelsea stranded.
Therefore, a 4-4-2 formation is most likely to be deployed, with Aubameyang and Lacazette as strikers, and Ozil or Iwobi as a number 10 this time.