Arsenal’s threat and defensive resilience sees Man Utd but Mikel Arteta knows that they need more | Football news

Arsenal had won only two of their 11 previous trips to Old Trafford. A victory for the opening in a stadium where they have so often fought is something to celebrate, so unconvincing.

Mikel Arteta described him as a “massive” result thereafter. “To go in the first match to Old Trafford with this atmosphere, the way they take momentum, with new signatures and excitement around them, it is a great feeling,” he added to Sky Sports.

They did so by turning on characteristic forces. The winner of Riccardo Calafiori came from a new corner routine. “We don’t want to be predictable,” said Arteta. But the result was familiar. It was their 31st goal from a corner since the beginning of 2023/24.

No other part has succeeded in this period.

They are in a separate league with regard to the sets and that they remain the exceptional team of the Premier League also.

Even finishing 10 points behind Liverpool last season, they conceded seven less goals than any other party. It was only the last example of their resilience and their pressure organization.

They were also liable to David Raya, of course. He made seven stops in total, including an exceptional intervention to refuse Matheus Cunha in the first half. But few games can compete with Arsenal when it comes to summoning the grain and rescue required in circumstances such as the last 20 minutes at Old Trafford.

“Arsenal is one of the best teams to manage games and know how to get the clock,” said Sky Sports Pundit Gary Neville on co-humor. “It is an experienced unit.”

Their experience was tested, especially in the first half while the new signatures of Manchester United, Bryan Mbeumo and Cunha, were unleashed freely in space. But Arsenal replied.

“They really dug,” added Neville. “They have shown a lot of resilience. We know how good they are defensively. The goalkeeper made superb stops and the four rear has improved over the game.

“They have never been to their best, but come here to Manchester, whether in Old Trafford or at the Manchester City field, is still difficult. Obtaining three points is big for Mikel Arteta.”

The boss of Arsenal described the defensive efforts of his team as “phenomenal”, but there was also an acceptance that, on the whole, their performance was “not to their standards”. In truth, it was not even close. “We have to improve a lot,” he added.

The main challenge for him and his players, having scored only 69 goals for 86 from Liverpool last season, is to return to the offensive levels demonstrated during the 2023/24 campaign, when they reached a total of club clubs, 91 having marked 88 in the previous one.

The club acted this summer in this spirit, spending 115.5 million pounds Sterling combined on Viktor Gyokerres, which started at Old Trafford, and Noni Madueke, who came for Gabriel Martinelli as a substitute in the second period.

Arteta spoke with an obvious excitement of the qualities that Gyokerres, a 97 -way goal scorer in 102 games for sport, will add to his team before the match. But the first evidence suggests that there is a lot of work to do to adapt, both for him and for the team.

Gyokerres worked hard and made an overview of his physical qualities against the defenders of Manchester United, but he gave way to Kai Havertz on time only finished four passes and did not record a single blow.

Gyoker will need more services. He will also have to strengthen chemistry with his new teammates. But he was not helped by the collective negligence of Arsenal in possession.

Their accuracy rate of the 75% passes was the lowest in a first league match since the 2-2 draw with Manchester City last September and fell well below the average of 89% of last season.

Arteta hopes that this will take place at La Rust at the start of the season, but there are wider questions about Arsenal and their relationship with the risk, highlighted by Liverpool and Manchester City opening their campaigns with four goals victories this weekend.

“The sign of a very good team is when you are not at your best and you win football matches,” said Sky Sports“Roy Keane. “The concern for me in the second period is that there were opportunities to really go to Manchester United, but they seemed from this point of view.

“Go ahead, in competition with Liverpool and Manchester City, they seem to want to opt for this second or third goal, while Arsenal thinks:” Oh, we are 1-0, we may expect “.

“It turned against them last year when they had too many prints. It will not win the titles of the League and must improve. Arsenal must be clinical in their game and really opt for this second or third goal.”

What matters most, of course, is that Arsenal left with the result they came. History tells us that Old Trafford is not the field of a free wheel approach, even in the best of cases. But finding mastery of the control of attackers to correspond to their defensive force is the key to their title hopes this season. It remains a work in progress.

Sky Sports to show 215 live games this season

Of this season, Sky Sports’ The coverage of the Premier League goes from 128 games to at least 215 live games.

And 80% of all Premier League television matches this season will be broadcast live Sky Sports.

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