In preparing for one of Arsenal’s historically biggest fixtures, Mikel Arteta faces a problem. He has to try and anticipate what Ruben Amorim might do, which is difficult when the Manchester United squad are still at the early stages of adapting to the manager’s approach. The Portuguese can’t yet apply his full principles, which creates the potential for a lot of variables. That is the one advantage Amorim has in these first months of his reign.
It is just as well for Arteta, then, that he has finally been able to apply his own full principles. Arsenal have so swiftly switched from this long period where they had to be extremely pragmatic to one where the goals are now flowing. The return of Martin Odegaard is obviously important, but it’s also as if the entire squad were straining to get back to what they really are.
