Arsenal vs Manchester United: 5 key players in lynchpin match

Arsenal have a bit of a doozy on their hands as they play host to Manchester United. here are five players needed to see us into fourth place.

Arsenal know what’s at stake here. If they lose, they get further buried in the race for the Champions League. They could have pulled themselves within a point of Tottenham, but only managed a draw at Wembley, which allowed Manchester United to squeak past and into fourth place.

Meaning that the Gunners still hold their fate in their own hands. This is their last top-six match of the season, and if they beat United, they will be in fourth place. Win the remaining fixtures, as they should, and they are all but guaranteed a top four finish (Chelsea could provide complications, but let’s not worry too much about that).

In case you aren’t getting my drift, let me just come out and say it – this is a big match. The biggest match we’ve had all season. And the Gunners are going to need all hands on deck to get the necessary three points out of it.

Thankfully, the only major absence (that we aren’t already used to) is Lucas Torreira, who was shown a harsh red against Spuds.

Let’s talk about our five key men. Honestly, I don’t think it could be any more obvious who they are, with very little wiggle room. We start with No. 5.

5. Laurent Koscielny

No matter how much attacking the team is going to do at their own home, there is no way to get around the need for a stalwart at the defense. And unfortunately, the numbers there are suddenly dwindling, what with Sokratis’s implosion against Rennes.

Granted, the suspension itself won’t effect him, the mental state might, because he was remarkably bad against Rennes beyond just the red card. He was severely out of position throughout and couldn’t seem to settle into the match.

Koscielny, though, was heroic as always, and he is going to have to be likewise against United if we’re going to come out of this with smiling faces.

On to No. 4.