**Arsenal**are eager to respond to a treble of the wrong kind. For the third year on the trot, the team finished in second spot in the Premier League, lagging behind **Liverpool**as the champions. To get this title charge in the right direction, they must try to take three points from a trip to Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim is under the spotlight to stop his squad sliding as far down as 15th place. But he has new weapons to worry Mikel Arteta and the Spaniard must show that his stagnant phase has ended.
Arsenal must be reenergised
The Gunners scored 69 times last term in the league, 22 fewer than their tally in the 2023/24 campaign. The development of the duels between the two teams in the last year reflected why.
Arteta engaged in meetings three times with Amorim last season. The first fixture saw a stalemate by the end of the first half, but the Gunners were riding a wave from set-pieces and smashed the zonal system of their visitors thanks to two second half goals from William Saliba and Jurrien Timber.
But the Red Devils responded. In their **FA Cup**victory, they held on despite being down to ten men and gave away nothing from corner kicks. The story was the same for the last test at Old Trafford.
Across both 1-1 draws in the ninety minutes, Saka was absent with his hamstring tear. But the team still relied on the rotations from the right side, while lacking the connection that Odegaard gets in the game from the 23-year-old, as **Arsenal**shifted the ball from side to side with little luck near the box.
Everyone will be alive to the threat of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka in dead-ball situations. So, it will be the job of Arteta to empower his players in open play and make the correct choices upfront.
How does Arteta arrange the attack?
The Spaniard might show his hand with two of his summer signings to break up a probable back five.
Noni Madueke came to the club for £52 million from **Chelsea**despite missing only six **Premier League**matches last term. He is not going to just make up the numbers in the squad as a backup to Saka on the right flank, and the manager has already tried him as a strong sided option from the left.
Leandro Trossard has been suffering from a niggle in his groin and is not likely to start. But even if he was fully fit, he has displayed that being cute and clever is not always enough to unpick defences.
Gabriel Martinelli made his return to action from a hamstring injury in March at Old Trafford. With the score locked at 1-1, his speed, directness, and highly intuitive movement off the bench presented problems for the hosts: it might be better to let him loose against tired legs in the final phase of play.
The man that most will want to see lead the line is a former ally of Amorim, Viktör Gyokeres.
The Swede got off the mark with a bullet header at the Emirates Stadium in a 3-0 victory against Athletic Club. Transitions are his ideal environment, and at Sporting, he was used to a system that serviced his runs in the channels. But Arteta still loves Kai Havertz, whose fitness is sharper to start.
Arteta has said lineups will respond to the challenges he expects: the balancing act starts on Sunday.
Will Mbeumo make magic on his debut?
The Gunners must also be attentive enough to watch for the threat from their hosts on the transition.
**Man United**only scored 44 goals last year in the league. It is unlikely the team will be as impotent this time around: between Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, they have gained an extra 35 goals.
The speed and directness of Mbeumo on the counter are a known threat from his time at Brentford, who did an excellent job at getting their forwards to target weak spots around fullbacks. He scored 20 **Premier League**goals last season, one of which was in a 3-1 loss with the Bees against Arsenal.
Indeed, left back has been a problem position for Arsenal, who have various options for the weekend.
At the start of 2024, Jakub Kiwior covered as the left back. But he is weak in duels, was infamously scorched by Leroy Sane in the Champions League, and has looked better in central defence. He is more likely to be a partner to Saliba, especially if **Gabriel Magalhaes**is not fit for the full ninety.
**Riccardo Calafiori**has suffered from a string of knee injuries, and as much as he loves to gallivant forward, he can lack defensive discipline. Against Athletic Club, he benefitted from the fact that Rice remained in more of a double pivot with Martin Zubimendi and has the mobility to mop up mess.
Myles Lewis-Skelly seems to be the number one, but he would take the place of Rice as a pivot. He is a midfielder by trade, and his bullish ball carries are an exercise in risk and reward for the Gunners.
Arteta will have a vision of how he wants the game to go on the weekend. However, there is no getting around the relative weakness of the left of the defence in comparison to having a lockdown defender in Timber on the right. He must make sure the balance is intact to contain that fragility.