Arsenal Vs Manchester United: Do not abandon width

Arsenal travel to Manchester United on Monday evening. Despite perhaps his more natural desires, Unai Emery must not abandon width.

In Arsene Wenger’s final season as Arsenal manager, road woes utterly undermined his team’s Premier League efforts. Defensively flimsy, lacking character and commitment, the Gunners repeatedly capitulated away from the comforts of the Emirates.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Conclusions in the Chaos

Last season, the first in the post-Wenger era, solving these troubles away from home was a crucial aim of new head coach, Unai Emery. He failed. Miserably. Arsenal were even less convincing away from home, keeping just one clean sheet all season.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

This year, it was again a clear focus of the team. If they were to finally return to the top four, they would have to improve their road form. But so far this season, that has not unfolded. Arsenal did open the year with a surprising clean-sheet victory at Newcastle United, although since then the Magpies have proven themselves to be utterly incompetent, but they have played two more away games since then, a loss at Anfield and a fortunate draw at Watford in which they conceded 31 shots, a Premier League record for both Watford and Arsenal.

In those two latter road matches, at Liverpool and then Watford, Emery shifted to a 4-4-2 diamond shape, utilising a narrow diamond in central midfield with two centre-forwards. The plan was clear: compact the centre of the pitch, allow the opposition to possess the ball in wide areas, inviting their full-backs to push into advanced areas, and then break with speed and purpose using the two strikers.

Against a brilliant Liverpool who Arsenal would struggle to match up with and take on, it made sense. Emery needed to try something different and it very nearly worked. But two weeks later against Watford, that was not the case. Emery had the superior players and the ability to field the superior, controlling team. But he ceded that with his poor tactics.

When the Gunners travel to Old Trafford on Monday night for their fourth away match of the season, Emery again has the opportunity to field a superior team. He has the better players. He can play in an aggressive, front-footed, attacking manner. He does not need to react to United’s threat and can instead dictate the threat to them, even at Old Trafford. Using the 4-4-2 narrow diamond and sacrificing width, therefore, would be utter madness.

This done require Emery to be brave. With Alexandre Lacazette out injured, he would have to turn to a young solution, either Reiss Nelson or, based on recent performances, Bukayo Saka. The latter was superb in his season debut against Eintracht Frankfurt and was then rewarded the very next game with a start against Aston Villa in the Premier League. He could be in line to start again, even at Old Trafford. It would be a wise decision if it meant that Emery used a 4-3-3 shape, not the 4-4-2 diamond.

Against a lacking United who are short on talent, confidence and dealing with injuries, Arsenal must be aggressive and attacking. And for that, they need width, something that Emery has worrying been willing to veer away from already. Hopefully the same mistakes will not be made again.