Arsenal: 4 tactical errors Arteta made vs Manchester United

2. Instructing Aaron Ramsdale to Kick Long

It was hoped that United would come on to Arsenal in this game, a tactical approach that fits neatly into the brand of football this team wants to play.

Investing heavily in a goalkeeper whose distribution with his feet is exceptional, the continued ploy of having Ramsdale kick long into the waiting chests of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire bypassed the skillset that he has.

Teams should play to their strengths. This is supposed to be Arsenal’s strength, especially against a team who have not been an effective pressing unit at any stage over the past three seasons.

Having both central defenders stationed in the six-yard box waiting for the short passes to build from as deep as possible, so often the idea was abandoned as the goalkeeper went long. While his long kicking was poor on the night, who was he kicking to?

Aubameyang rarely ever wins aerial duels and Gabriel Martinelli is not of the physical stature to contest aerial balls either. It resulted in needless turnovers in possession and gifted the home side the ball each time.

If the aim was to win the second balls, the fact that the team had sunk so deep meant any effort to support Aubameyang would leave gaps. For a team sitting deep and needing to regain a foothold, going long entirely bypasses that approach.

There would have been more sense in sticking Tomiyasu at centre-forward if second balls were the intention.

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