Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has highlighted Manchester United stars Jadon Sancho and Antony as weak points with Mikel Arteta targeting revenge in January.
The Gunners suffered their only defeat of the season so far against United in a 3-1 loss at Old Trafford despite being the better side for the majority of the game. Mikel Arteta came under heavy criticism for his decision to make a triple substitution with just 20 minutes left to play as Marcus Rashford scored twice on the counter-attack late in the match.
United had seemingly turned a corner earlier this season but their performance in the 6-3 defeat against Manchester City at the weekend was a major setback for Erik ten Hag's side. Arsenal remain just a single point clear at the top of the table after the 3-1 North London Derby victory over Tottenham, with an out-of-form Liverpool side up next for Arteta's side.
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The Gunners have to wait until mid-January before they face Ten Hag's side again but Arteta will be keen to get revenge over their fierce rivals at the Emirates Stadium after the disappointing defeat at Old Trafford in September. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal will still be fighting at the top of the table in the new year, but their current form suggests they're in with a good shout of challenging for the Premier League title this season.
Analysing the Manchester Derby on beIN Sports, via The Mirror, Wenger highlighted Sancho and Antony as weak points in Ten Hag's system. The former Arsenal boss said: ""I had the impression that Man United have some work to do to defend on crosses from their central defenders and from their midfielders. What is for me unbelievable in the first half is that Man United has defended so badly on the flanks.
"From the first minute Dalot got a yellow card, and Sancho and Antony did not contribute defensively. They were, in the whole half, flooded on the flanks and they were always in trouble."
Antony scored on his official debut for United in the win over the Gunners but Arteta's side were unable to take advantage of the space left behind the Brazilian winger. Wenger continued: "After that, when they had the ball, I felt they were obsessed by respecting too much the game plan.
"They wanted always to go too quickly forward and lost so many balls and didn't have enough possession. They didn't play for possession, they wanted just to get on the counter-attack."
Wenger's analysis will sure be noted by the current Gunners boss who will be keen to inflict revenge on United in the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium next year as they continue to fight for the Premier League title and a UEFA Champions League qualification spot. Arteta could also look to contact his former colleague Pep Guardiola ahead of the clash in January and deploy a similar tactic to the Spaniard which saw Jack Grealish and Phil Foden run riot against the United defence.
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