Arsenal vs Manchester United: 4 big selection decisions

Mikel Arteta sprung an almighty surprise when he fielded a lineup against Chelsea featuring Rob Holding and Mohamed Elneny, a decision that had most fearing the worst.

For a club aiming to propel themselves back into Champions League contention away at the home of the European and world champions, it was hardly a team selection to inspire.

But this coach knows what he’s doing. It’s only a successful plan if it pays off, and leaving Stamford Bridge with three points and four goals scored certainly constituted one.

The way the season is panning out, with just six matches left to play, the manager appears to be leaning more on the side of short-term thinking over the long-term philosophy. The roots of the team’s identity have been sewn, but at a point where results matter most of all, he’s allowed that side of the plan to take a backseat.

Arsenal vs Manchester United: 4 big selection decisions for Mikel Arteta in Saturday’s Premier League clash against Rangnick’s side

Opting for a more defensively assured system that could fluctuate between three, four and five defenders, as well as bringing the less adventurous and more possession-assured Elneny into the side, demonstrated that. Now it’s about what comes next.

Manchester United are a side aiming to reignite their own top four bid – despite Bruno Fernandes insisting they have nothing left to play for – and just as they could spark their own mini-revival, they could pour cold water over Arsenal’s.

It’s an entirely different proposition facing the side on Saturday. Arsenal being at home and against a team who’ve quite clearly downed tools and are in the midst of their own crisis poses alternative problems to tackle.

On the one hand, why would you change a winning formula? On the other, Manchester United at home is not Chelsea away. There are some interesting selection decisions facing the manager.

1. Back to 4-2-3-1?

Arsenal started out at Stamford Bridge with a shape more closely resembling a back three. Bukayo Saka and Nuno Tavares were wing-backs, and while the system had the freedom to fluctuate depending on how Chelsea approached the game, it appeared to be 3-4-3.

As the game progressed it saw Saka push up and White play more as an orthodox right-back, while in the second half when Arsenal got their noses in front to shifted into a back five block. Saka even swapped sides on occasion to deal with the Blues’ overloads on the right.

Important to note is that it worked. That’s the key.

While it wasn’t especially comfortable in the first half with sloppiness throughout the team, the whole defence grew in confidence and across the second half Chelsea rarely threatened to score.

This is where the idea of going horses for courses comes into play. Arsenal will be at home, the onus will be on them to attack, and thus moving to a more defined 4-2-3-1 will surely be in Arteta’s thinking, irrespective of the success that the ever-changing systems had on Wednesday.

United’s threats come from wide areas and solidifying those zones with wing-backs could create a foundation to burst out and play through the Red Devils, just as it could be an invitation to invite pressure.

Prediction: A formation more closely resembling a 4-2-3-1

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