Arsenal Look Lost, Tottenham Look Tired, and Manchester United is Improving
Current Issues with Arsenal
Unai Emery’s time at the Emirates Stadium started off on a good note with a 22-game unbeaten streak which suggested that he managed to lift the curse that was settling in during the later stages when Arsene Wenger was taking care of business at Arsenal. However, over the last 6 weeks, the team is looking a bit directionless and listless. Since their incredible victory against Tottenham at the beginning of December, the only matches they’ve managed to win was against Fulham, Burnley, and Huddersfield, the bottom three teams on the Premier League standings.
So what is the reason for this recent slump? Well, the best explanation is obviously that the players in the Arsenal squad are simply not good enough. Which players do you want to see in the next season? Alexandre Lacazette, Hector Bellerin, Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira? That’s basically it, to be honest. But Emery is certainly not helping the team at the moment either. He clearly doubts the fortitude of Mesut Ozil and his recent substitutions have been strange at best along with his issues with Aaron Ramsey that he wants to remove from the squad. Obviously its still early days for the team, but it looks like their unbeaten streak wasn’t a sign of positivity but simply a mask to the team’s deeper problems.
Current Issues with Tottenham
There’s no denying that Tottenham Hotspur looks tired which has been the case for the last couple of weeks, to be honest. However, they are managing to mask their fatigue quite well. Their defeat against Manchester United last week won’t set off huge alarm bells as of yet as they played exceptionally well during the second half of the match and were only stopped from scoring goals due to the best goalkeeper in the Premier League at the moment.
However, one has to wonder if this is the start of the team showing their cracks. Is this the moment where not being able to sign anyone during the summer is starting to show? The overall fatigue is obviously understandable, both physically and mentally, but when its combined with absences and injuries, including the departure of Son Heung-min and the ankle issue from Harry Kane, it looks like there’s quite a big issue brewing at Tottenham.
Coaching at Manchester United
Six matches are still too small to conclude that Solskjaer has managed to revolutionize the strikers at Manchester United. However, in every match, you will notice what Solskjaer is talking about in public. Take the goal from Marcus Rashford against Hotspur for instance. Solskjaer mentioned that he is working with Marcus on his technique and mindset to stay calm in front of the goal. Rashford’s goal proved it as he hit the ball at the right time to provide the best chances of scoring a goal while staying calm. Will the success Manchester United is currently enjoying last for the rest of the season? Only time will tell.