Premier League 2022/23: Why Arsenal vs Manchester United could be one of the most interesting tactical battles of the season – tactical preview

Christmas has come late for Premier League viewers. Last weekend, a double-derby header took place as Manchester United battled local rivals Manchester City while Arsenal went head-to-head with a struggling Tottenham Hotspur.

These games certainly didn’t disappoint. Man United triumphed in the Manchester Derby at home for just the second time in three years, ending the game in dramatic, yet controversial fashion as Marcus Rashford poked the ball through the legs of Ederson to claim a 2-1 victory at the Theatre of Dreams.

Meanwhile, the Gunners cruised to the end against Spurs, collecting all three points after a Hugo Lloris howler and a Martin Ødegaard wonder strike outside the area put their bitter rivals to bed in Tottenham’s own backyard.

Now, England’s top-flight division is delivering the goods once more, starting with Chelsea’s trip to Anfield. Both sides are in desperate form at the moment and sit ninth and tenth in the league which seems like a fever dream for both sets of fans.

This battle of the strugglers is followed by one of the biggest games of the season as Arsenal host Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium, with the two sides in hot form at the moment.

United’s incredible recent run dating back to November has seen them in the conversation for the title with half the season left to go but the points gap stands at eight right now. However, a victory against the Gunners would have both the league leaders and Man City watching anxiously over their shoulders.

On the flip side, the home team have the chance to put United’s title hopes to bed and extend the gap to their old foes to a comfortable stretch of eleven points.

But bear in mind, Arsenal have only lost once this season in the Premier League and that was to none other than Erik ten Hag’s Red Army back in September. Will history repeat itself, or will the Mancunian giants come crashing back down to earth?

With the top of the table clash set to kick off this Sunday, we have decided to perform an analysis of the historic fixture. This article will be a tactical analysis preview, forecasting the tactics that can be expected from both sets of managers.

Formations and lineups

There likely won’t be any innovation from either side in terms of formation choices this weekend. Both Arsenal and Manchester United have been extremely consistent with regard to the shapes that they line up in.

In fact, there has been a lot of similarities between both sides when it comes to formations. A 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 hybrid is at the very core of the tactical contrast.

Arsenal will almost definitely deploy a 4-3-3 with Thomas Partey sitting at the base of the midfield while Martin Odegaard and Granit Xhaka will play further ahead, operating between the lines.

In front of Aaron Ramsdale in goal, Arteta’s backline may consist of Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli will hold the width for the Gunners as part of a front three, flanking Eddie Nketiah up top. This is the exact same starting lineup that put Tottenham to the sword with ease last Sunday afternoon. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.