Playing out from the back concerns
This game is a really hard one to analyse. If you're looking for themes or motifs that traversed across the 90 minutes you'd be hard pressed to find any, such was the beautifully chaotic nature of the game that took place on Saturday. One thing that did manage to rear its head through madness though was a concern that has been quietly simmering for a few games now.
Across the run where Arsenal looked to be finding themselves under Mikel Arteta between December and March, one of the most identifiable traits of their play was their willingness to play out from the back. Think back to that sumptuous back-to-front goal scored by Alexandre Lacazette that arguably got the ball rolling for the Gunners good form, and the blueprint was clear.
Recently though as Arsenal's form has started to become more temperamental, that confidence under pressure from defence has started to evaporate. It was made painfully clear in Wednesday's 4-2 victory over Chelsea as Rob Holding in particular struggled to retain possession in the first half, but the result ultimately masked the deficiency.
READ MORE: Every word Mikel Arteta said on Xhaka's display, Saka's injury, Tavares' game and top four
Without the former Bolton man in the backline this time though the problem persisted. The early goal should have settled nerves among the Arsenal players, but instead as Cristiano Ronaldo took the uncharacteristic decision to press high, the Gunners' calmness in possession appeared to wilt into the anxiety of the 60,000 people inside the Emirates Stadium.
Aaron Ramsdale has revolutionised Arsenal's backline with his mid-range passing, but the England keeper played a simple enough ball intended for Emile Smith Rowe straight into the path of Scott McTominay, creating a chance for Bruno Fernandes that he failed to take. Cedric also struggled on the ball and could be seen yelling frantically at Ben White for the lack of passing options available to him when he looked to clear after Anthony Elanga had a decent shout for a penalty under a challenge from Nuno Tavares. Gabriel also looked nervous in possession, opting to go sideways on plenty of occasions as the Arsenal defence appeared to get the jitters.
It is under extreme pressure like this - not so much in the face of Manchester United's press, but rather the importance of this game in the race for the top four - that you really see how accomplished a team really is in its core principles. The result means we can probably laugh about it now, but at the time Arsenal were found wanting. Speaking in his post-match press conference Mikel Arteta admitted that the fatigue of his players was impossible to ignore when analysing their difficulty playing from defence.
"It’s very difficult to do it and sometimes the game is taking you there," the Spaniard said. "Some of these players are very fatigued. Emotionally and physically it was a huge game to play at Stamford Bridge and after everything we accumulated there you have to play two days later at 12:30, but we managed to do that. To come with a victory against that team I think it’s great and it’s what the players deserved."
Although it did improve slightly as the game went on, it does appear that in recent matches, the structure that was so prevalent in Arsenal's play earlier this season has disappeared. With key players like Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney unavailable to pull that off potential until the end of the season though, it may be something Gunners fans have to get used to.
Tavares here to stay after Edu transfer admission
Continuing with the theme of inconsistency within matches, Nuno Tavares' afternoon was certainly on brand for Arsenal right now.
Arteta seemed aware that after the exhausting evening at Stamford Bridge, his side may not have too much in the tank and as a result he set his Arsenal side out to start fast. The Gunners knew they needed to get the crowd at the Emirates Stadium up in order to provide them with an extra boost, and Tavares' frenetic playing style fit that perfectly.
The Portuguese full back got the ball rolling for the Gunners as he tapped home when David de Gea parried Bukayo Saka 's low curled effort. "I got my first goal. It was amazing," Tavares said of his team's tactics. "We started very hard, we wanted to put pressure on United and we got it."
However, as the game went on and the mood began to settle the side of the 22-year-old's performance that has caused so many to question his future at Arsenal began to come to the fore. He began to give the ball away consistently and managed a disappointing pass accuracy of just 75% across the game (according to WhoScored ).
On top of that his positional play became exposed time and again, and it was only when Arsenal switched to a back three after the introduction of Rob Holding that they felt defensively secure again. That's before we even get on to the ridiculous penalty that Tavares gave away...
With Kieran Tierney out for the rest of the season and Granit Xhaka becoming increasingly essential in midfield in Partey's absence, it looks as though Tavares will continue in the team between now and the end of the season. And after the game Arteta seemed pragmatic in his more delicate reaction to the Portuguese defenders' performance than in comparison to previous weeks.
"We have to help him," the Spaniard said. "He needs to go through these experiences to understand what triggers these moments when you go from here to there. We know, and I’ve said this many times, the bill you have to pay with those players is that they’ve never experienced this. They are going to make mistakes and they are going to make decisions that from here it’s very easy to say ‘why have you done that?’ But that’s when we have to give them support because they need it."
Prior to the match, Edu conducted an interview stating that after looking to inject youth into the squad last summer, Arsenal would be more focused on bringing in bigger experienced names in the upcoming transfer window. With that focus on quality over quantity in mind it's difficult to see the Gunners going out and spending money on a left back yet again this summer. Tavares, it seems, is here to stay, and for the time being it seems we can expect plenty more of these helter skelter displays.
Xhaka steps up
With Alexandre Lacazette replaced in the starting line up by Eddie Nketiah, and Kieran Tierney out for the rest of the season, the role of captain fell again to Martin Odegaard on Saturday. The Norwegian grew into the responsibility well and is really starting to make Arsenal look like his team. However, if you plucked an alien off Mars without any real knowledge how football captaincies work and asked them to tell who the real skipper was in this team, they would surely have said Granit Xhaka.
This was yet another really young and inexperienced Gunners side that took to the field against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium. Cedric and Mohamed Elneny are both senior players in terms of age, but as far as regular first team players over the age of 25 go, Xhaka is probably the only fit one left at Arsenal.
Across the past two games when others around him have looked unsure of themselves the Swiss international has really stepped up to lead this team through arguably their most important week of the season. For someone known for his hot-headedness the 28-year-old was composure personified yet again (other than the silly yellow card he picked up for kicking the ball away). And while others were celebrating wildly when Bruno Fernandes missed his penalty, Xhaka could be seen going around to younger teammates like Gabriel, Ben White, Nuno Tavares and Eddie Nketiah, pointing furiously to his head and encouraging them to stay focused on the prize ahead.
On the ball, the Swiss international was terrific, managing a 96% passing accuracy from 69 passes, including four long balls and one key pass for good measure. He was also excellent defensively nipping in with two interceptions and one crucial clearance. Of course though the peak for him was the goal - his first of the season - which let the air out of a balloon of tension that was building around the ground due to United's positive start to the second half.
At full time Xhaka was warmly received as he did a lap of appreciation for the Arsenal fans, scenes that would have been unimaginable just two and a half years prior when the same supporters booed him off the pitch against Crystal Palace. He touched on that exchange in an insightful interview in which he expressed a desire to form a stronger bond with the fans, and after the game Mikel Arteta was keen to thank those at the Emirates for being so receptive to his calls.
"I was dreaming of that because he deserves it," the Spaniard said of the scenes on full time. "If any fan would individually spend five or 10 minutes with Granit, or even two minutes, because that’s all you need, they would understand the person that he is, the professional that he is and how much he cares about the club. But the history was there.
"Now I think he made, I would say a risky move, when he opened up and expressed completely his feelings, but as well he’s done that because he’s prepared. He feels that environment is going to protect him, he feels loved at the club and the response I think it was great. Thankyou to the fans for showing that appreciation to him because I know how much that means to him."
In that same interview Xhaka stated his desire to do something truly great with Arsenal before his time in North London is up. With that performance against Manchester United, he has put them on track again to do just that.
Arsenal determined to do it the hard way
If told someone that Arsenal would win two of their five matches after the international break, you would have been hard pressed to find anyone who thought those victories would come against Chelsea and Manchester United. It really should have been a lot more simple than this for the Gunners in their race for the top four, but they seem determined to do it the hard way.
After Tottenham's draw with Brentford it seems the pendulum has now swung well and truly back in the Gunners' direction. The two point gap they have opened up is absolutely huge, and after the game Mikel Arteta stated that with the tempestuous nature of this top four race, it is almost impossible to try and predict which end of the Seven Sisters' Road will be blasting out the Champions League theme tune come September.
"I don’t know," he said when asked what would make the difference. "Today what was decisive is when you are 2-0 up and have total control of the game Ronaldo comes in out of nothing when he’s with Gabi and he manages to score the goal. Then I think no one in this room would say we would win with Granit scoring from outside the box.
"This is the beauty of this game. I don’t control these things and I’m not trying to control them. But what I see is a team that is so willing, that gives the energy. The cohesion that they have in that stadium is phenomenal and it gives them a chance and it makes me believe we can do it."
Each game now appears that it will carry a similar emotional weight to what we saw on Saturday. Having surrendered their poll position already this season, it is vital that Arsenal don't repeat their mistake and build on this momentum by beating West Ham next week. Every game is now important than the last and so managing the mood of this young squad will be essential for Mikel Arteta over the coming days.
