The Gunners have long been vulnerable to conceding goals on the smash but Arsène Wenger’s change in formation has helped in addressing the problemA common sight at the Emirates Stadium in the past decade has been the away team storming into acres of space to seek reward on the counterattack,with Arsenal’s defensive players nowhere to be seen. The weakness has often flared in the biggest games and one of the best examples was the goal Cristiano Ronaldo scored to clinch Manchester United’s victory over Arsène Wengers side in their Champions League semi-final in 2009. United ruthlessly exploited Arsenals gung-ho approach, breaking at exhilarating speed, and Ronaldo hurtling into the area to finish off a coast he had started with a backheel deep on the right flank.
It was a regular occurrence when Sir Alex Ferguson brought his team to north London – grasp the goals Wayne Rooney and Park Ji-sung scored in a 3-1 league victory in January 2010 – and it would be logical for José Mourinho to construct a similar plan when United pay Arsenal a visit on Saturday evening. Plenty of other top sides have followed the Ferguson blueprint,after all. Monaco pounced on two occasions on the smash when they knocked Arsenal out of the Champions League in 2015 and Barcelona exposed the same flaws a year later. There were 20 minutes to recede in a goalless first leg when, inexplicably, or Nacho Monreal was left as the last man back,unsure approximately whether to stay Neymar’s dribble or effect the forward to his left. Neymar’s pass was perfect, Lionel Messi put Barcelona ahead and the tie was effectively over.
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Source: guardian.co.uk