One of the fiercest rivalry in English football resumes this Saturday when Manchester United host Arsenal in their next Premier League game. While the Red Devils have slipped down the League table after making a good start to the season, Arsenal has put their opening day defeat at the hands of Liverpool and currently sit in the 4th spot only 2 points behind the League leaders Liverpool.
However, all that will be forgotten when the two sides take to the field for the game. The fixture has proved to be an exciting affair in recent times, and we expect the trend on Saturday.
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With millions spent in the summer transfer window by both the clubs, it is only evident that a lot of the spotlight has been on their new recruits and in this segment, we rate the players who arrived at the mentioned clubs at the start of the current season.
Manchester United
Eric Bailly - 7/10
There were a lot of eyebrows raised when Manchester United announced the arrival of Bailly from Villarreal and several media outlets reported that the fee being paid for the player was around a whopping £30 million. However, the player has let his game do the talking during his time at the Old Trafford and has put to rest the claims that Manchester United could have overpaid for his services by a notable margin.
The Ivorian has showcased an ability to be tidy with the ball at his feet, can disrupt the opposition’s rhythm with interceptions and tackles and is a tough man to get past for most oppositions as he complements his physical brute with a sound understanding of the game to frustrate them.
While he can be equally effective in tackles (having won 55% of the ones he has entered into the League so far), it is the player’s understanding of the game that has impressed us the most. He averages an interception every 25 minutes and uses his pace to great effect to thwart the opposition’s attempts.
The Ivory Coast was arguably Manchester United’s best player while he was fit. He brought the much-needed athleticism and solidarity to the United defence, although temporarily, as his stint at the club was plagued by a long-term injury that will see him miss the action until January.
With him expected to travel to the African Cup of Nations in January, just weeks after his expected return from injury, Jose Mourinho has a task at his hand to find his replacement, at least for the short run. If his performances are anything to go by, Bailly is here to leave his stamp on the Premier League and could be one of the better buys of the club in recent times.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 6/10
Despite blowing hot and cold over the course of the last few weeks, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the reason Manchester United currently sit in the 8th spot in the Premier League as the Swede was crucial to the side eking consecutive wins in their opening three League fixtures against Bournemouth, Southampton, and Hull City.
The player went six games without scoring, as Manchester United lost their grip amongst the top 4 in the League and had been singled out for a lot of criticism owing to his lacklustre performances. Not only was the former PSG man not finding the back of the net, but he was also not able to trouble defences and was accused of missing glorious opportunities that could have put several games to rest and deservedly so.
However, the inevitable happened and Zlatan was on the scoresheet in his side’s latest fixture against Swansea and Jose Mourinho as well as millions of Manchester United fans will be hoping that the player can continue to find the back of the net at a regular frequency to help his side improve on their current league standing.
The 35-year-old’s transfer was expected to be a stop-gap solution for Jose Mourinho while he looks for a long-term solution to the striking troubles of his side and the Portuguese will be aware that time is running out for him. In the meanwhile, the world waits with abated breaths to witness Zlatan specials, masking the struggle at hand for the Portuguese.
Paul Pogba - 5/10
The return of Pogba to the Theatre of Dreams sent the footballing world in a meltdown. The French superstar had been in an imperious form for Juventus and was expected to shore up the Manchester United midfield with his athletic presence in the middle of the park.
However, that has not been the case for the player as he has been way too inconsistent to be deemed world-class on his current form. While we have seen what is capable of in bits and patches during the season., when you pay the kind of fee that Manchester United did for the player, you expect him to turn up game after game and take it by the scruff of the neck. This is something which the player has not been able to do so far in the season.
A player who can be equally effective in attack as well as defence, many fans and critics are still arguing over the fact that Jose Mourinho is yet to figure out his most productive player. Sooner the manager addresses the problem at hand, sooner would he be spared of further troubles on the pitch.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 2/10
Such has been Jose Mourinho’s sporadic usage of the former Borussia Dortmund star that fans have even gone on to claim that Jose Mourinho might have been forced to sign the player and he could leave the club soon owing to the same.
For a player who scored goals aplenty and was also a critical part of one of the most active attacking units in Europe only last season, Mkhitaryan has fallen the pecking order at Manchester United and looks unlikely to force his way back into the side anytime soon.
Arsenal
Shkodran Mustafi - 7.5/10
An issue that plagued Arsenal before the arrival of Mustafi to the Emirates was finding a partner who could complement Laurent Koscielny at the heart of the Arsenal defence. With no offence to Per Mertesacker, he is ageing and seems to be getting slower with age catching up with him and the arrival of Mustafi has not only brought renewed energy to the side’s defence, but it has also brought in a technically sound player to replace Mertesacker.
Mustafi is not only good in the air, but he is also apt at cutting out the opposition on the ground, and that has reflected in the stats he has raked in thus far in the season. The player boasts of a tackling efficiency of 58%, averaging a successful tackle every minute, while also ensuring that any aerial threat that comes the Gunners’ way is dealt with aptly as he has won 60% of his aerial duels.
The defender is comfortable on the ball, can get the ball out of his defence, makes regular interceptions to disrupt the opposition of the rhythm and is, like a defender worth his salt, unafraid to put his body on the line for the greater good of his side.
Having already adapted to the English game, despite spending a relatively small time in North London, great things are expected of the former Valencia man, and if Arsenal is to mount a title challenge, Mustafi will need to remain consistent and dish out sound performances in the heart of the Gunners defence.
Granit Xhaka – 6/10
Swiss midfielder Xhaka has had a rather underwhelming start to life at the Emirates after being touted to be the requisite midfield general of the side owing to his performances for Borussia Monchengladbach and Switzerland. The player has failed to enforce games in a way desired by him, and after being in and out of the side, Xhaka finally seems to be coming to terms with English football as his performances have improved.
While he has developed the reputation of being a destroyer in the classy mould, the midfielder is equally apt at building play from a deeper position and can be lethal with the ball at his feet. He has been frequent into tackles, is dominant in the air and can help his side recover possession with his ability off the ball.
The biggest issue that remains to be improved upon is Xhaka’s disciplinary issue. He can be reckless at times and tends to commit fouls in critical areas on the pitch, and these qualities could come back to haunt his side should he not fine tune his game.
Lucas Perez – 4/10
Despite scoring 17 goals for Deportivo La Coruna, Perez’s transfer did not inspire a lot of confidence amongst the Arsenal faithful. Many deemed that a player of his quality would flourish in a relatively smaller side and a move to Arsenal, a club which is of a bigger stature could prove to be detrimental to his career.
However, it has not been Perez’ abilities, but injuries that have played a spoilsport in his short tenure at the club. He has featured just six times for the Gunners and has played the duration of the game just once, against Nottingham Forest in the League Cup. While he did bag two goals in the game to help his side beat Nottingham, he has not been able to influence other games in which he has featured thus far.
For us, Perez can at the moment, at best be a squad player and if he shrugs off the injury woes that have surrounded him since his arrival in England, he could prove to be a healthy option to have for Arsene Wenger.
Rob Holding – 4/10
The youngster was part of the side that began the season on a disastrous note at home against Liverpool, and after featuring subsequently against Leicester and Watford in the league, the former Bolton Wanderers man has found playing time hard to come by and has featured in just one more game against Nottingham Forest in the League Cup.
It would be prudent of us to say that Holding was brought in by Arsene Wenger for the future. At 21 years of age, while the player has showcased his abilities in bits and pieces, there is a lot of aspects of his game that can improve under the right manager.
