Arsenal Fans Frustrated With Mikel Arteta For His Squad Selection And Tactics Against Manchester United

For what could have been a potential win for Mikel Arteta Arsenal which would have seen them go over West Ham. They could secure the 4th position, it just wasn’t meant to be for the Gunners tonight against Manchester United. Arsenal fans had doubts hovering in their minds before the game even started, this happened as soon as the lineup was released by the club. Just when Mikel Arteta was finding his perfect lineup, he decided to experiment tonight which in the end, did not work out for the team.

Fans had doubts about a number of players who had their names on the lineup sheet. Players like ElNeny, Aubameyang, Odegaard just haven’t been up to the mark in the past few games. The likes of Lacazette, Sambi Lokonga, and Tierney were on the bench which raised question marks.

While the Gunners did have a good start as they scored the opener, they just weren’t up to the mark after that goal. Arsenal were playing too deep in their half and stood back for most of the time after scoring the first goal. They had almost no attempts on goal after Emile Smith Rowe’s goal. All this piled up pressure on the defence as Manchester United continued to attack with their pace. They finally found the back of the net on the brink of halftime.

Almost every Arsenal player was below average in the first half. But Thomas Partey had an absolutely disastrous 45 minutes where he looked very clueless, lost possession may a time, and committed sloppy passes.

Where did Mikel Arteta go wrong in his tactics against Manchester United?

Arsenal’s style of playing was just not up to the mark. They often sat back and played too deep after scoring a goal which led to them being impatient in the latter stages. Eventually, They conceded a penalty which came through a pointless yet desperate tackle.

Mikel Arteta has to gain back the support of the fans and gain momentum going into the crucial month of December. He will have to make some huge decisions. For instance, he might or will have to drop Aubameyang considering his bad recent form and start Lacazette over him. It will not be a surprise if even Thomas Partey is dropped for the next game against Everton.

Nuno Tavares’ selection is something to keep an eye on, the Portuguese has now started 6 consecutive games. While Kieran Tierney who is fit and ready to play but has been benched by Arteta for some games now. And Tavares has been good going forward. His defensive duty is just not up to the mark and does make mistakes that lead to goals. Tierney’s experience is something that reflects in his game and will be needed by the Arsenal. Mikel Arteta team travel away to Goodison Park on Monday.