How playing Romelu Lukaku on the right can help Man United hurt Arsenal again

Aditya Devavrat 23:22 09/03/2019
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  • Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

    After the high of Manchester United‘s dramatic Champions League win against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his. coaching staff have to switch attention to the Premier League‘s top four race, with a crucial clash against Arsenal, one point and one place behind fourth-place United, coming up on Sunday.

    Solskjaer has already masterminded one away win over Arsenal this season, when a classic counter-attacking performance saw his side emerge 3-1 winners in a FA Cup fourth-round meeting, and he’ll be hoping for more of the same this weekend.

    Here’s a look at the key tactics the United manager could employ against their old foes.

    LUKAKU ON THE RIGHT A TRIED AND TESTED TACTIC

    Romelu Lukaku on the right wing against Arsenal is a tried and tested tactic. It came off with aplomb with Everton in a 3-0 win over Arsenal in 2014, and United repeated the strategy in their 3-1 FA Cup win earlier this season.

    Arsenal have no effective way of guarding against it. Lukaku’s size means he will have an advantage over whoever he is matched up against for the Gunners at left-back, while his pace and technical ability allow him to either cut in and shoot, beat his man, slide in clever reverse passes for attacking runners from the centre, or deliver a cross from the wing.

    The only drawback of stationing him on the right is that it would put on hold his budding partnership with Marcus Rashford. But the Englishman will profit nonetheless, either from Lukaku’s skills as a right-winger or by linking up with the left-sided attacker.

    FRONT THREE OR TWO WIDE FORWARDS?

    Depending on fitness, one of Martial or Lingard will play, though the availability of both to start remains in doubt. If they are available, Solskjaer will have a decision to make. Does he revert to a front three? If Martial is in the XI, he can play wide left, with Rashford through the middle in a classic front three. Otherwise Lingard will play as a false nine, a role in which he thrives as it allows him to bring his excellent movement to the fore while pressing the opposition midfield in defence.

    The other option is to have a No 10, either Lingard or Andreas Pereira, and Rashford and Lukaku as wide forwards. That allows the central player to drop into midfield when United aren’t in possession, while both Lingard and Pereira are capable of linking up well with their forwards.

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