Pain in the Arsenal
Fansided

Arsenal vs Manchester United: 3 key battles in titanic clash

By Kenneth Daly

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 22: Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal is challenged by Aaron Wan-Bissaka of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on January 22, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 22: Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal is challenged by Aaron Wan-Bissaka of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on January 22, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Martinelli will match up against one of the best one-v-one defenders around. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Martinelli will match up against one of the best one-v-one defenders around. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

2. Gabriel Martinelli vs Aaron Wan-Bissaka

A tough assignment for Martinelli to kick-start his campaign.

The Brazil star cut a peripheral figure in our opening two fixtures and proved very wasteful in the final third against Fulham, often overrunning byline dribbles or firing tame efforts into the gloves of Bernd Leno.

Even so, Martinelli has the quality to make a difference on Sunday and will not let past struggles weigh him down, but he is about to face one of the world’s best one-on-one defenders in Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

According to FBRef, Wan-Bissaka came out on top in 23 of 25 opposition attempts to dribble past him last season, while his rates of blocking (88th percentile) and interceptions (93rd percentile) per 90 rank among the very best across the top five European leagues.

Our man will have to work hard for every chance he gets, so a big performance is needed here.

Continued on the next slide…

Home/Arsenal News