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Old foes Manchester United and Arsenal will renew their rivalry at Old Trafford on Thursday in what's expected to be a cracking encounter.
While Manchester United got off to a flying start to the 2021-22 Premier League season, Arsenal suffered greatly in the opening weeks. But their fortunes have altered considerably over the past couple of months. Arsenal are currently sitting fifth in the Premier League table with 23 points in 13 matches.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have slipped to eighth with just 18 points so far. The Red Devils have lost five of their last eight matches in the Premier League and have won just a single game in that time. The appalling dip in form led to the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ralf Rangnick has been appointed interim manager for the rest of the season but he won't be in the dugout on Thursday night. Michael Carrick will be in charge for this one. Arsenal have four wins in their last five and it definitely looks like Manchester United will have their work cut out against their rivals.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why Manchester United will struggle against Arsenal.
#5 Manchester United's poor recent record against Arsenal
Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United had maintained a good record against the Premier League top 6 up until this season. However, Arsenal have been a side that they've just not been able to get the better of in recent times.
The Red Devils are winless in their last six Premier League meetings with the Gunners. They have lost three and drawn three. Manchester United's last win against Arsenal came all the way back in April 2018.
Arsenal, particularly under Mikel Arteta, have been a tough cookie to crack as far as Manchester United are concerned. Given United's current form, there is no reason why Thursday night should be any different.
#4 Arsenal solid enough defensively for Manchester United
Manchester United were one of the best attacking teams in the Premier League last term. However, they have been nowhere near their best in recent weeks.
Manchester United have scored just five goals while conceding 12 in their last five Premier League matches. Three of those five goals came against a hapless Tottenham Hotspur who were still being managed by Nuno Espirito Santos.
Arsenal have kept six cleansheets in the Premier League this term. They have kept three cleansheets in their last four games with the only exception being a 4-0 loss against Liverpool. But the Manchester United attack is currently nothing like the Liverpool one and the Gunners ought to be able to hold their own on Thursday.
#3 Manchester United's defensive problems
As mentioned earlier, Manchester United have conceded 12 goals in their last five matches. In fact, their defensive record has been poor all season. The Red Devils have kept just two clean sheets in 13 Premier League matches this term.
It's difficult to say whether Harry Maguire's return from injury is a blessing or a curse at this point. The Manchester United captain has arguably been their worst player this season, committing unpardonable errors on a consistent basis.
Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly did a decent job against Chelsea. However, they did have plenty of help from Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay and Fred in midfield against the Blues.
But deploying the defensive midfield trio of Matic, McTominay and Fred takes a lot out of Manchester United's attacking threat. They are likely to revert to a double midfield pivot here and as a result, United's out-of-form centre-backs could once again be easily exposed.
#2 Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford's poor form
Bruno Fernandes has been Manchester United's best player ever since he joined the club in January 2020. However, he has turned in far too many underwhelming performances in recent weeks. The Portuguese international is a risktaker but most of his audacious passes have not come off in recent weeks.
He was poor against Manchester City, Watford and Chelsea. Manchester United need their most creative attacker to get back to his best. Marcus Rashford has not hit his stride since returning from injury. He has scored just one goal in his last seven appearances for Manchester United.
Due to their defensive woes, the Red Devils cannot compromise on scoring. Rashford and Fernandes' form helped them navigate tough fixtures last season but they are unfortunately playing nowhere near their best right now.
#1 Manchester United could get overrun in midfield
It remains to be seen if Cristiano Ronaldo will return to Manchester United's starting lineup against Arsenal. He was benched against Chelsea for obvious reasons. At 36 years of age, the Portuguese international has to conserve his energy for attacking moments and he simply doesn't press enough.
The rest of Manchester United's attackers are not exactly all about that graft either. They are much too reluctant to track back and help out, which in turn leads to the midfielders needing to cover too much lateral space. As a result, Fred and Scott McTominay end up getting run over in midfield.
Arsenal have hard working players in Albert Sambi Lokonga, Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe. Regardless of whether or not Ronaldo starts, there is a chance that United will get dominated in midfield. If the 36-year-old does start, things might get even worse for them during defensive transitions.
