Mikel Arteta has spoken about his expectations when Manchester United make the trip to the Emirates for Michael Carrick’s toughest challenge yet.
Manchester United will face Premier League leaders Arsenal in their next fixture, making the trip down to the Emirates for arguably their toughest game of the season.
Michael Carrick’s start to life as United boss has been nothing short of difficult, being thrown straight into the deep end, facing Pep Guardiola in his first outing in charge. But Carrick got it spot on against Manchester City as his side won 2-0 in a dominant display.
Arsenal have been formidable at home this season, but Carrick has a successful history against Arteta, from his first spell in charge following Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s sacking, and may have an advantage heading into Sunday’s game.
Arteta has spoken out about his expectations ahead of the game as the arrival of Carrick at United has altered his plans.
Arteta needs to “adapt”
This Manchester United side will be completely different to the side that faced Arteta on opening day under Rúben Amorim, although they came very close to a win that day.
Carrick has shown how he completely differs from Amorim’s tactical approach, and this has led to huge optimism from United fans.
In the build-up to the game, when speaking to Arsenal media, Arteta explained his expectations of the game. “Michael coming in will bring new ideas,” said Arteta. “Always, the intensity rises up.
“You could see that in the Manchester derby, the kind of behaviours and the game that they played, so we will expect a really tough match and we’ll adapt to that for sure.”
Carrick’s tactical approach
Carrick previously took charge of United back in the 2021/22 season, where he also faced Arteta. A brace from Cristiano Ronaldo and a goal from Bruno Fernandes saw United walk away with all three points in a 3-2 victory.
Carrick clearly has a solid grasp on how to approach certain games depending on their strengths. Last weekend’s display against City saw Harry Maguire getting lots of success on the ball with his dominance in the air. This is another strength of Arsenal’s, as they have proven on countless set pieces.
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The United boss may opt for a tall defence once again to counter the threat of the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba from set pieces. This may cause Arteta to alter his approach to dismantle United with a different method.
At the other end of the pitch, seeing Carrick utilise Fernandes in a higher role has seen United create far more chances, which will be imperative against Arsenal, who are so defensively solid.
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