By Bulldog Drummond
So how have Man U been doing this season? Here’s the ups and downs.
- Premier League: Hoped to win it but came second. When Arsenal came second in 2015/16 it was the source of much derision, so I imagine it will be the same for Man U.
- Champions League: Knocked out by Sevilla
- FA Cup: In the final
- League Cup: Knocked out by Bristol City
Not sure if that counts as success or not, but obviously their focus will be on the FA Cup final as ours will be on the Europa League.
The FA’s official web site still has Manchester United as the holders of the FA Cup, which is a trifle odd since Arsenal won it last season, but maybe they have more information about the future than I have. But in the real universe here are the figures for Man U and Arsenal in the aforementioned FA Cup…
So a win for Man U would give the two teams equal records in the final.
| Club | Wins | Runners-up | Total final appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 13 | 7 | 20 |
| Manchester United | 12 | 7 | 19 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| Liverpool | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Chelsea | 7 | 5 | 12 |
Chelsea on the other hand have a lot of ground to make up and a victory for them would take them up to the level of Tottenham. I am not sure if that is where they want to be but that is what would happen.
In the league of late Man U have lost just two of the last ten
| Date | Game | Res | Score | Competition |
| 25 Feb 2018 | Manchester United v Chelsea | W | 2-1 | Premier League |
| 05 Mar 2018 | Crystal Palace v Manchester United | W | 2-3 | Premier League |
| 10 Mar 2018 | Manchester United v Liverpool | W | 2-1 | Premier League |
| 13 Mar 2018 | Manchester United v Sevilla | L | 1-2 | Champions League |
| 17 Mar 2018 | Manchester United v Brighton & Hove | W | 2-0 | FA Cup |
| 31 Mar 2018 | Manchester United v Swansea City | W | 2-0 | Premier League |
| 07 Apr 2018 | Manchester City v Manchester United | W | 2-3 | Premier League |
| 15 Apr 2018 | Manchester United v West Brom | L | 0-1 | Premier League |
| 18 Apr 2018 | Bournemouth v Manchester United | W | 0-2 | Premier League |
| 21 Apr 2018 | Manchester United v Tottenham H | W | 2-1 | FA Cup |
And not just two defeats in the last ten but all the rest were wins. The oddity of course was the West Brom game, in which, having just beaten Manchester City at the Sheikh Rattle and Roll Stadium, they then lost at Very Old Trafford (built 1910).
Man U are one of the few teams that have beaten us more than we have beaten them: they have won 97 and we have won 82, and it is hard to find some good reasons to think that this trend might be overturned, other than a possible distraction by the FA Cup. And that is clutching at straws.
Our last ten looks like this, and oh, what’s this? Only ONE defeat – although there have been two draws.
| Date | Game | Res | Score | Competition |
| 08 Mar 2018 | AC Milan v Arsenal | W | 0-2 | Europa League |
| 11 Mar 2018 | Arsenal v Watford | W | 3-0 | Premier League |
| 15 Mar 2018 | Arsenal v AC Milan | W | 3-1 | Europa League |
| 01 Apr 2018 | Arsenal v Stoke City | W | 3-0 | Premier League |
| 05 Apr 2018 | Arsenal v CSKA Moscow | W | 4-1 | Europa League |
| 08 Apr 2018 | Arsenal v Southampton | W | 3-2 | Premier League |
| 12 Apr 2018 | CSKA Moscow v Arsenal | D | 2-2 | Europa League |
| 15 Apr 2018 | Newcastle United v Arsenal | L | 2-1 | Premier League |
| 22 Apr 2018 | Arsenal v West Ham United | W | 4-1 | Premier League |
| 26 Apr 2018 | Arsenal v Atlético Madrid | D | 1-1 | Europa League |
Of course we all know where the real problem lies: playing away from home, which is what we do this weekend.
Here’s Man U’s league position counting home games only before any Saturday games…
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 17 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 58 | 13 | 45 | 46 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 18 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 49 | 20 | 29 | 44 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 17 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 35 | 8 | 27 | 41 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 41 | 10 | 31 | 39 |
And the away games only table showing Arsenal
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 17 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 12 | 28 | 44 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 34 | 19 | 15 | 34 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 17 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 30 | 18 | 12 | 33 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 39 | 27 | 12 | 32 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 17 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 31 | 19 | 12 | 30 |
| 6 | Burnley | 18 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 20 | 17 | 3 | 28 |
| 7 | Leicester City | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 27 | 28 | -1 | 20 |
| 8 | Newcastle United | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 27 | -10 | 16 |
| 9 | AFC Bournemouth | 17 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 28 | -12 | 15 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 18 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 27 | -13 | 15 |
| 11 | Watford | 17 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 17 | 30 | -13 | 14 |
| 12 | Arsenal | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 26 | -9 | 13 |
Yes we still are 12th on the same number of wins as before: three. So Man U are much stronger than Arsenal when we compare Man U at home and Arsenal away. Arsenal score one goal away from home in the league, on average, while Man U score two at home. Arsenal let in 1.62 goals on average on the road, while Man U concede 0.47 per game. Put another way, they concede less than one goal in every two games.
This makes it look very tough for us, and indeed makes it a game in which we will be looking either for a sudden change of fortune or a spot of luck. Which amounts to the same thing.
More anon…
The latest post from our series on Henry Norris at the Arsenal
And from Untold Arsenal
- Manchester United v Arsenal Sunday 29 April – The Match Officials
- Fifa crisis, Trump gets involved and making up stories to try and keep the interest. The PL from here on.
And, we may be resting players for Thursday. Seems similar to ManUs situation last year.
With that Chelsea away win to Swansea at Liberty Stadium this evening, our lost cause to qualify for the Champions League next season is authentically confirmed. However, Arsenal still have the opportunity to take the step to redeem their damaged image in this season’s campaign if they knockout Atletico Madrid from this season’s Europa League Cup next week’s Thursday night at Vincente Calderon on the backdrop of unexpected win over Man Utd tomorrow at Old Trafford.
Am hoping that Chelsea will take the fourth CL spot .No logical reason – just hoping!
If either Sanchez or Giruod win the FA Cup , they will be most probably be the second after Brian Talbot ( 1978 with Ipswich & 1979 ) to win it with Arsenal and another club in consecutive seasons.
Not sure if any other Arsenal players have achieved this ?