Devil’s Diary: The first big test for Manchester United is here! Top team in form to show reality

The transfer window is over and it must be said that Manchester United the day before the opening game of this Premier League season and Manchester United now are two completely different worlds. But now comes the first big test, namely the clash with Arsenal.

The Red Devils have already faced a top team once this season, which they also managed to beat. Liverpool, however, have their own problems, with many midfield players out of the game, and even so, they managed to dominate virtually the whole game, when not much was missing, and took a point from a game that went wrong for them.

Moreover, the Manchester United management failed to bring their reinforcements to Old Trafford in time and so Casemiro is only slowly starting, Antony’s start is still a question mark on Sunday. It all cost points, although after two opening defeats Erik ten Hag’s charges managed to win everything else.

However, the last three league duels have all ended in a slim one-goal win, with the opponents usually taking the reins of the game after scoring, except of course Leicester, who have looked really resigned and devoid of energy lately, which will be Brendan Rodgers’ place on the bench if nothing changes.

Arsenal will be a different cup of tea, as they lead the league with 15 points and a 13:4 record. Moreover, the whole team is running like a well-oiled machine and it will be interesting to see how they can transfer that energy onto the pitch at Old Trafford.

Of course, the Gunners are not without problems either, as Mikel Arteta might miss Martin Ødegaard on Sunday, who injured his ankle during the game against Aston Villa and his start is uncertain.

The Norwegian author of three league goals in the current Premier League season would probably be replaced by Emile Smith Rowe, who has played 31 league minutes so far. The English talent obviously has his qualities, but whether he can fully replace the Gunners’ key man at the moment is a question that Sunday’s game might answer.

As far as mutual matches are concerned, Arsenal have lost only once to Manchester United in their last seven fixtures. But the slight favourite, at least according to the bookmakers, are the home team’s players.

On the other hand, we have Arsenal’s statistics at Old Trafford. It says that Manchester United have lost only twice at home out of the last nineteen duels. This explains the cautious approach of the bookmakers.

Either way, this match will tell a lot about both clubs and where they really stand. Personally, I believe that it is the clash between Arsenal and Manchester United that will be crucial in the sense that one of them will clinch the last ticket to next year’s Champions League.

After all, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham are simply a force to be reckoned with for next year’s basic groups in the millionaire competition. Chelsea, then, is a relatively big unknown, but so far its performances do not correspond to be able to measure up to the aforementioned teams. At the beginning of September, however, everything is still too unclear…

Source: Premier League, Manchester United