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Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has lauded Arsenal for bouncing back from their disappointing start to the season, admitting that he enjoys watching them.
Manchester United will go head-to-head with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Gunners, who are fresh off a 4-2 triumph over Chelsea, will look to build upon their excellent midweek performance. The Red Devils, on the other hand, were hammered 4-0 in Liverpool’s backyard and will look for a way to come up with a response.
In his pre-match press conference, Rangnick has candidly spoken about their Saturday rivals, hailing them for getting their season back on track. When asked to reveal what he thought of Mikel Arteta’s men, the German said (via Manchester Evening News):
“I think they drew the right conclusions from what they experienced earlier on in the season. They brought in some young players, Odegaard for example, they got rid of some players who didn't fit that style of football. It's a high attacking team with fast strikers, pretty aggressive in the first third, always trying to press and counter-press.”
The former RB Leipzig manager then admitted that he liked to follow them and warned his team about the north Londoners’ quality up top.
The 63-year-old added:
“I like watching them actually, but hopefully not against us tomorrow, so it's up to us to be aware and prepared of what they're doing up front, but at the same time, taking advantage of the space that we will hopefully get in their half.”
Arsenal, who are currently in the fifth position with 57 points after 33 matchdays, lost their first three Premier League games this season. They then went eight league games without tasting defeat, which got their campaign back on track.
Their recent form — three defeats in last four league games — is hardly encouraging, but their midweek win over Chelsea could get them back into shape.
Cristiano Ronaldo could be the difference-maker for Manchester United against Arsenal
The Red Devils sorely missed Cristiano Ronaldo in Tuesday’s 4-0 defeat at Liverpool. Without the Portuguese leading the attack, United lacked penetration and rarely managed to trouble the Reds’ defense. At the Emirates, Manchester United need to fare better, and to do that, they will need their no. 7 to fire on all cylinders.
Ronaldo may not be as quick as before, but he still possesses the intelligence to drift in behind the defense and make them pay. Arsenal have a knack for leaving space behind the backline when pressing in numbers, which could end up being catastrophic against a player like Ronaldo.
The Portuguese has already scored a hat-trick against a north London club this season (Tottenham Hotspur). It will be interesting to see if he can inflict the same punishment upon Arteta's men this Saturday.
