Why Van Gaal & Man Utd's DISASTROUS half at Arsenal had been coming for weeks

By Naija Yarnings -

This had been coming. This was why fans and pundits alike were busy scratching their heads rather than delivering effusive praise when Manchester United reached the top of the Premier League after seven games. United were beaten 3-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday after being overrun by exactly the kind of assault that many feared would be the Red Devils' undoing sooner or later. Louis van Gaal's side have been picking up the results despite looking entirely beatable at the back, and that run came to a shuddering halt in north London. Against Tottenham on the opening day they were left clinging onto a 1-0 lead by their fingertips as the visitors upped the pace and forced them onto the back foot, while defeat at Swansea came after a short burst in the second half during which they were well off the pace. The same happened at PSV in the Champions League, while victory at Southampton came only after the home side had wasted several good chances when bossing the momentum early on. So it was always likely to be the case that an Arsenal side who love to attack with speed and verve would cause United problems. And nobody can pretend to be surprised that the Gunners made hay between the lines in the first 20 minutes, turning around the statuesque midfield duo of Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger before unleashing hell on the back line. Arsenal had done their homework. They pressed high. They asked questions of United’s defenders on the ball rather than doing what most teams had done by sitting back and allowing Van Gaal’s men to dictate a slower pace to the play. The rewards looked set to be endless. Alexis Sanchez flicked home superbly after Ashley Young and Daley Blind had been exposed down United’s left, then Mesut Ozil put the finishing touches to a move which saw Theo Walcott drive through a huge hole in front of the visitors’ defence. Seven minutes. Two goals. For the first time in Premier League history United found themselves three behind inside 20 minutes, Sanchez again thriving in front of the back four before escaping Matteo Darmian and beating the hesitant Chris Smalling and Carrick to the ball before thrashing a shot into the top corner. The defensive resources Van Gaal decided not to strengthen over the summer were left looking completely insufficient. Bookings for Darmian and Young only added more concern and misery. While they showed a slight improvement in the second half, they did so against an Arsenal side going through the motions with the game in the bag. Van Gaal has spoken in recent days about his players being tired, but they were not tired at the Emirates. They were just too slow, both in body and in mind. United were said to be coming up against their first huge test of the season on Sunday. They failed it, and badly. An Arsenal side needing to bounce back from Champions League humiliation came up against the ideal back line to bully. If this United side are going to challenge for the Premier League, more has to be done to anticipate and prepare against this kind of afternoon.

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