Hello and welcome to the total soccer show. My name is Daryl Grove and I'm joined by a man who would not win a foot race with Daniel James. His name is Taylor Rockwell. Hello.

Hello. Not Daniel James. Maybe Ashley Young. To be fair, not many people would win a foot race with James. That is correct. He is a fast, fast man United Winger. That is also correct. So today's show, we've got some listener questions to answer, but also we're going to review that man United Arsenal game. Spoiler alert, it finished one won. It did. It was not the prettiest game of Premier League soccer I've ever seen. It was not. I would agree with that entirely. Yeah, not even close. It was two, um, was I watching two unfinished teams? Yes, which is troubling given the money spent by both of them, particularly Man United. Oh, dear, oh dear. So we're going to talk about each goal, right? There's a Scott McTominee goal at the end of the first half. And then there's that Pierre Emmerich-Obomian equalizer in the second half. Right.

Both very nice in their own way.

Yes. at the end of the first half. And then there's that Pierre Emmerich-Oabomian equalizer in the second half.

Right.

Both very nice in their own way. Yes. Yeah? But the rest of the game, scrappy, scrappy, scrappy. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Okay. Let's talk tactics maybe first. Sure. What were these teams trying to do? It's a great question. it seemed like I think you spotted that arsenal were maybe trying to sit off a little bit

especially in the first half

very full team's trying to do. It's a great question. It seemed like I think you spotted that Arsenal were

maybe trying to sit off a little bit, especially in the first half. Very 4-1-4-1. Yeah, I think they changed that a little bit in the second half, which partially explains the second half goal. Yeah, well, they're one-killed down, right? You've got to maybe put a bit more pressure on. And for United, I have a tougher time, honestly.

I think the idea was, like, clog up the middle a little bit.

You have Pugba and McTalmone there.

I think Pugba...

Yeah, put the tall middle a little bit.

You have Pugba and McTalmonee there.

I think Pugba...

Put the tallboys out there?

Yeah. I think Pugba continued to play as more of a deep player than a more attacking player, which I would argue is part of the problem and why he hasn't looked as good. So I think with him and McTalmane kind of sitting a little bit deeper and then trying to get into the attack,

trying being the operative phrase there, it felt like United were more so, like, relying on attacks down the flanks to try to create some problems for Arsenal.

I would call this Man United team a counter-attacking team, right?

I would say that they're – I don't know if it's their main plan, but their most effective route of attack is to counter attack, right? Because even the goal they score, it's from an Arsenal corner. It is. Right? It's almost their best, their best attacking approach is maybe to concede corners and then hit on the counter. Which I think does make sense when you look at, like, they're starting, they're starting front four of a potentially still injured Marcus

Rashford, Jesse Lindgard behind him, Daniel James, and, uh, Pereira. Thank you. Yeah, on the other side. But yeah, like, Rashford, he's not a hold-up striker, right? You're not going to play the ball into his feet and he holds it up and you build from there. And then if Anthony Marciow was fit, he'd be playing centre forward similar kind of player right much better the ball in front of him and he's running into

open space as a If Anthony Marcia was fit, he'd be playing centre forward, similar kind of player, right?

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