Mikel Arteta assessed the hurdles that he expects from the battle between Man United and Arsenal.
The Premier League leaders face an opponent fresh from derby day delight at Old Trafford after a 2-0 victory over Man City last week. With a week of preparation and the arrival of Michael Carrick in the dugout, the Red Devils will fancy their chances of causing an upset at the Emirates Stadium.
“Michael will bring new ideas. Always, the intensity rises. You could see it 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. But we are at home and we know how important that game is for us.
“We don't know [how different Man United will be]. Every game is different. At the end, individuals are the ones that make the difference or the ones that make the game in a certain way and we're going to try to be ourselves, be dominant like we always want to be, impose the game that we want to play and regardless of what they want to do, we want to take the game in the areas that are good for us.
“[Transitions] is one of the areas [the game will be won or lost]. I mean, they are so good in a lot of departments. It is clear that when that team has a space to run in a certain place to activate or run, they become lethal. You saw that a few days ago in Manchester. They have a lot of attributes to cause you problems. But as well, like every team, they have their weaknesses as well.
“Historically, there has always been something very linked to [the strength of Man United in the transition]. The profile of players that they always have and certain individuals that are so good at activating those spaces as well. I don't know the stats exactly, but for sure, they are one of the best.”
