Dubbing Arteta’s ruthless Arsenal ‘the new Stoke’ is unfair

Every time Declan Rice or Bukayo Saka walked over to the corner flag, you could sense the fear among the United squad. The routine always starts the same way: four or five of Arsenal’s most physically imposing players line up on the far side of the six-yard area, before crowding around the opposition goalkeeper like bees being drawn to honey as the ball is swung in.

Andre Onana was completely helpless on both Arsenal goals, with Timber nodding home the first at the United keeper’s front post, and Saliba turning the ball into the net for their second after a deep corner from Saka found Thomas Partey. The Gunners constantly mixed it up with their delivery, and put blockers in place that made it very difficult for United to win first and second balls.

Amorim tried a zonal marking system to combat the threat, which backfired. But plenty of other teams have opted to go man-for-man, and the result has been the same.

“As coaches, when we prepare these strategies, you know what the opposition are going to do,” Portugal boss Roberto Martinez, who previously managed in the Premier League at Wigan and Everton, said on the Amazon panel. “The uniqueness of Arsenal’s work is that they always find a little trick that makes things impossible to defend if the delivery is right.”