Three things Arsenal need to learn from Manchester United ahead of Cardiff trip

Arsenal Training

While the natural talking points to deduce from the 2-2 draw between Cardiff City and Manchester United centred on the visitors’ dropping yet more points, a disservice was handed to the home side in the process.

For Malky Mackay’s men should be credited for playing their part in reawakening United’s malaise as much as David Moyes and his side must accept responsibility for yet another inept away day showing.

The Bluebirds were fully worth their late leveller for such stringent second-half endeavours and if next weekend’s opponents Arsenal are riding high on the crest of a wave just now, then Cardiff are hardly proving inhibited themselves in a maiden Premier League campaign which has seen them secure four points against the Manchester clubs and also win the hotly-contested South Wales derby.

With this in mind, the Gunners would be ill-advised not to heed the mistakes made by Manchester United and right the defensive wrongs of the champions in the process.

In fairness to Arsenal, a previous area of concern has now become one ofpuissance. The ever-blossoming defensive partnership of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny has appeared inspired in passing a series of tests which have been heavily billed on each occasion as markers of their betterment before being brushed away with relative ease.

Robert Lewandowski may have got the better of the central defensive pair once, but the motivation and sheer desire they exuded in combatting the Pole second time around was reflected in a precious clean sheet.

Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, too, failed to pose Mertesacker and Koscielny enough problems to stall an ascend towards the apex of the pair’s defensive capacities, never mind placing a value on their importance in Arsenal’s table-topping start.

But Fraizer Campbell, alone, caused United no end of problems on Sunday, repeatedly striving to breach a decidedly average United backline and with success, steering his side level for the first time in the contest with an accomplished finish.

Campbell exploited a cavernous distance between Jonny Evans and Patrice Evra to maximum effect for his goal and it was interesting to note how each of his four attempts at goal came from a right-sided position in the penalty area.

While Campbell has the pace to trouble Mertesacker – although it should equally be argued this is a criticism which has been levelled at the German so many times, only for the German to make a mockery of it – Koscielny is an ever-present in the left-sided central role and is renowned for his searing, albeit elusive, pace across the ground.

Whether or not Campbell opts for a different ploy, with the chance to take on the less mobile if admittedly more streetwise Mertesacker potentially appealing, the former Manchester United and Sunderland striker will stick to his guns of placing as much pressure on the defence as possible.

The frontman’s average action areas graph below illustrates his devotion to playing on the shoulder of the defender and running into the sort of positions where he can utilise his speed to establish goalscoring positions.

The suggestion Campbell is a willing runner into the channels is also a flawed one when studying this particular evidence, as his three most prominent sectors of the pitch lie both centrally and as far forward as possible.

Make no mistake about it, Campbell has plenty more to offer than just portraying the ‘poacher’ type but having only notched three goals this season – all against the Manchester clubs – Arsenal will have noted how the 26-year-old has become a man for the big occasion, relishing the chance to take on the Premier League’s elite defenders.

The trio of goals makes him Cardiff’s top marksman so far this term but his contribution would be largely stymied were it not for the system Mackay is beginning to perfect.

The summer introduction of Gary Medel, rightly nickname the Pitbull for his pugnacious style, has emancipated Peter Whittingham and Jordon Mutch in the 4-1-4-1 formation currently employed by the Bluebirds.

Whittingham has created an impressive 20 chances this season, since being handed a free role, and his three assists rank highly amongst stellar names in the playmaking charts, with only seven players registering more.

Mutch’s seven chances created is significantly lower, but the 21-year-old has posted two assists of his own, including the exquisite sliderule pass for Campbell’s strike on Sunday which was as emblematic a goal as any scored by Cardiff this season of the impact made by the Medel-Whittingham-Mutch triad.

The Chilean Medel, whose passing accuracy of 92% was transmuted into a tangible context, fizzed a pass into Mutch, but the youngster controlled the ball with poise and took it in his stride before producing a pass to trump that of his midfield compeer to release the onrushing Campbell.

Like clockwork, the proverbial dagger to the heart or like a knife through butter, if you will, the similes were endless in description of a goal that epitomised midfield quality from a Cardiff perspective as much as it displayed a worrying paucity of it from United’s view, never mind the defending.

The manner in which Tom Cleverley and Marouane Fellaini were completely bypassed in midfield stands to reason how United’s lack of an enforcer in the Medel mould has hindered their progress while manifesting the worth of one in Mackay’s strategy.

The action areas support the idea that Whittingham and Mutch have been liberated in midfield, with both recording comparable figures (29.89%) and (22.54%) in the middle fifth of the spine of the pitch, while the former’s 14.94% in a left midfield role, alongside Mutch’s 15.49% on the opposite side, allows Mackay to revert to an attacking 4-3-3 when Peter Odemwingie and Don Cowie push up in support of Campbell.

Whether or not Arsene Wenger turns to Mathieu Flamini for an encounter which promises the odd hiccup along the way remains to be seen, but a specialist defensive midfield imposer may well be required to counter the threats posed by Mutch and Whittingham’s evasive movement and runs from deep.

The trip to Aaron Ramsey’s hometown club should hold few fears for the leaders given their excellent form away from home, the defeat to United aside, but one aspect of the Bluebirds’ play sure to hearten Wenger is in the Welsh outfit’s backline.

Steven Caulker is leading by example and looks to be revelling in his role as defensive leader but Ben Turner was badly at fault for United’s opener, passing straight to Antonio Valencia in the build-up to Wayne Rooney’s finish. Cardiff simply cannot afford to be so slack in their defensive work once again. It is surely of concern then, that only left-back Andrew Taylor (83%) holds a passing accuracy of over 80%.

Steven Caulker’s duel success this season

Turner leads the way in terms of average duels for defenders with 58% and sits level with Caulker on 11 average defensive actions but Arsenal are a side who pose various threats rather than allowing themselves to draw on a single spearhead in Olivier Giroud.

If the Frenchman isn’t scoring, Ramsey is. If their top scoring midfielder fails to sparkle, Mesut Ozil is on hand. Even Jack Wilshere chipped in with two goals in the midweek defeat of Napoli and the Gunners’ ability to mix an aerial threat – where Cardiff seem susceptible after conceding to Patrice Evra from a corner – with intricate passing sequences, makes for grim reading for Turner et al.

Mackay and his side face perhaps their biggest challenge yet in search of a third notable scalp to extend an encouraging early season run. If the spirit evident in abundance against City and United can be called upon, the Gunners may yet fall as the latest victim to the notoriously raucous and increasingly unyielding trip to the Cardiff City Stadium.