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Even though Manchester United drew against Arsenal in midweek, there was an air of satisfaction around Old Trafford. The Red Devils were expected to surrender to high flying Gunners, Mourinho's static defensive tactics were supposed to be broken by Emery's flamboyant attacking unit and Arsenal was supposed to make little work of United. What unveiled at Old Trafford, though, was strikingly different.
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Manchester United matched Arsenal at every area of the park and even outdid the Gunners in some areas. While the draw was a fair result, United did have chances to seal a memorable victory. As the Red Devils prepare to welcome bottom-placed Fulham on Saturday, there are a lot to feel good about. Today, we take a look at the four positives for Manchester United ahead of this weekend.
#4 Return of Eric Bailly
Jose Mourinho has been crying out for a central defender all season. He recently stressed on how every team in the Premier League bar Manchester United had improved over the summer. The root of all problems at United this season has been the woeful defense, which has already leaked in 25 goals in the Premier League. Mourinho desperately wanted a defender in the mould of Alderweireld, but against Arsenal in midweek, Eric Bailly showed why Mourinho was wrong to shove him to the sides.
The Ivorian was monumental and even though United did concede 2 goals, both of them were fortuitous. Bailly was strong, matched Aubameyang speed for speed on quite a few occasions and even showed clever feet more than once. His ball control and awareness was top notch and he also showed great courage to take the ball out of the defense quite often. Having 2 more central defenders alongside him certainly boosted his confidence, but Bailly showed against Arsenal why he should be playing more often. He is a player who can tackle, who is blessed with speed and also has a great understanding of the game. If he manages to maintain his concentration and intensity throughout the 90 minutes, United will be a much better team with the Ivorian in it.
Ahead of this weekend, Bailly's resurgence is a silver lining for Manchester United and the millions of fans around the world
#3 Ander Herrera
Ander Herrera is one of the most loved players at Old Trafford, yet the Spaniard has found chances hard to come by this season. Herrera has started just 6 games in all competitions so far, while also coming off the bench 4 times. He already has a goal, the cheeky finish that helped United secure a draw against Southampton at home last weekend. Against Arsenal in midweek, Herrera was one of the best players on the pitch, perhaps also the "mad dog" that Mourinho desperately desires.
The Spaniard had 65 touches on the ball, and completed 44 passes, with a 92% completion rate. He had 6 interceptions, 5 tackles and created 3 chances. It was his clever thinking and alertness that allowed Martial to equalize and kept Manchester United in the game; he had the relentlessness that was typical of the United teams of old. He was tenacious, busy as a bee and perhaps covered every blade on the pitch. It was his presence in the middle that foiled Arsenal's advances and never allowed the Gunner's midfield to settle down. The Spaniard was also very close to saving De Gea from that embarrassing moment.
Against Arsenal, Herrera was the leader on the pitch, the man who refused to surrender and continued to strive. His energy and motivation rubbed on to his teammates and that is one of the many reasons why the sky around Old Trafford should look a lot clearer this weekend
#2 Mourinho's surrender to free-flowing football
For the most part in this season, Manchester United have sacrificed their attacking flair to accommodate defensive discipline. And while it has failed to stop them from conceding goals, United have continued to be blunt in attack.
Mourinho has always set up his team to be compact and leave no space for the opposition to work on. And as a result, United have failed to stress on the attacking resources in their disposal. All of that changed against Arsenal in midweek.
Mourinho started with 5 at the back, but Dalot and Darmian mostly worked as auxiliary wingbacks. He also put Herrera with the under-performing Matic in the middle of the park, with Lingard dropping down and Bailly moving up to close the gap. It was supposed to be the perfect foil for Arsenal's attack, however, after kick off, United surprised the Gunners as well as the spectators by playing free-flowing, attacking football.
Players spent very less time on the ball and both Dalot and Darmian bombed through the flanks. Herrera joined the front three at every instant and United were the better team in the first half and right until the substitutions. It was a team in stark contrast of Mourinho's recent tactics and it looked like that the Portuguese was warming up to the idea of playing attractive attacking football. Whether he continues to remain loyal to Manchester United's true philosophy remains to be seen, but as of now, it is certainly a positive for United ahead of the weekend.
#1 Anthony Martial's form
When United desperately needed a hero, up stepped Anthony Martial. The Frenchman is United's top scorer in all competitions so far and has been in exceptional form recently.
Martial scored 9 goals from 30 games in the Premier League last season. He attempted 49 shots, 16 of which were on target. This season, the Frenchman has recorded 18 shots, 12 of which has been on target. He already has 7 goals in 12 Premier League games and 8 goals from 18 games in all competitions so far. Martial has started 14 of those games in this season and has slowly marched back into his manager's good books.
While his overall performance has been better, and he is a lot more involved in games now, Martial has also drastically improved his finishing abilities. He is a lot more clinical in front of goal and against Arsenal too, it was his smart finish that brought United back into the game. But what should make every United fan hopeful is that Martial has acquired a consistency about him this season. The Frenchman has now scored against Chelsea, Manchester City as well as Arsenal so far!
He is currently among goals and has now scored 7 times in his last 8 games in the Premier League. It is Anthony Martial's rich form that is the biggest positive for Manchester United ahead of this weekend.
