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MOTD: Manchester United 1-2 Arsenal

By on March 9, 2015

Manchester United have tried most everything to make their star-studded attack work this season. Countless formations and combinations, with Louis Van Gaal even being accused of long-ball football. It’s a testament to Arsenal’s defensive solitude that today, United were yet again frustrated up front, and when they failed to carve open chances, occasionally resorted to diving. Needless to say, today’s plan backfired.

Arsenal’s defense was that strong, and bar a few crosses, United found little success going forward. So much did Arsene Wenger’s men frustrate the Red Devils, that Di Maria eventually snapped: he dove, and when caught by referee Michael Oliver, was sent off for pushing the ref. United have been criticized for failing to jell as a team; indeed, it was Di Maria’s individual mistake that cost Louis Van Gaal’s men. Tempers may have been boiling over, but it was an utterly schoolboy error that is inexcusable from the Premier League’s most expensive footballer.

United’s will turned to desperation, culminating in the point when Adnan Januzaj was booked for another dive late on. An individual mistake will draw the headlines, but only begin to paint the problems within a United team that looked out of ideas and just as frustrated. If the Reds’ defense was Van Gaal’s main concern coming into the season, Van Gaal now has a double-whammy of issues to deal with.

“This was an FA Cup game and I didn’t see Manchester United players playing it like was a (knockout) FA Cup match. It was United’s last realistic chance at winning a trophy. Just too many Manchester United weren’t playing like they should…it was just not good enough.” — Peter Schmeichel during the FA Cup Semifinal draw

In retrospect, it was a moment that could spell much bigger trouble for Van Gaal and United than a single game. This game just happened to be an FA Cup Quarterfinal, and perhaps the biggest obstacle between United and a trophy this season. Already are their Premier League title hopes a distant memory but the wounds from a 4-0 League Cup loss to MK Dons remain fresh in their memory. Van Gaal had previously noted the importance of the tournament for United by fielding his starting lineup against the Cambridge United and Preston North End in earlier rounds. From a promising season on the road to recovery, United’s fortunes are in danger of veering fallen off a cliff.

Even David De Gea couldn’t save United this time, and despite his usual set of splendid saves, Antonio Valencia’s poor, short backpass straight into the path of Danny Welbeck left De Gea helpless. It was ironic that the man whom Van Gaal booted out of his boyhood club to support United’s new “galacticos” attack, came back and haunted his old club due to their poor finishing.

It is very hard not to point fingers at Di Maria, yet the blame is shared with others. Valencia’s mistake led to Arsenal’s winner, with Welbeck rounding De Gea and passing the ball into an open goal, and all too often the Ecuadorian had been caught out down the right beforehand. However, it would be nice to see Van Gaal shoulder more personal blame. His decision at halftime to bring Michael Carrick on for Ander Herrera was meant to assure United’s gaping defense, but simply invited pressure from Arsenal. Pressure that United had been returning in the first half, when Wayne Rooney equalized from Di Maria’s cross almost immediately after Arsenal carved apart the gaping holes in United’s defense to score an opener, only to decrease in the second period.  And for all of Arsenal’s defensive issues of late, their backline was solid compared to United’s.

From crosses and set pieces’ United looked dangerous, with Maroune Fellaini forcing Wojeich Szczesny into work on the end of Ashley Young’s cross sixty-seven minutes in, moments after a cleverly worked corner routine saw Chris Smalling miss the target from six yards.  Yet United’s runs ended countless times with Arsenal dispossessing after long individual runs. Tonight, United made individual mistakes a team sport.

Photo credit: Andre Zahn on Wikipedia Commons

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.