Last night, I rewatched Arsenal vs Bournemouth and Arsenal vs Manchester United during Carrick’s first game at the Emirates. Here is what I found: Vs United: Carrick set up his team to stay high up out of possession but not to press when the ball was with the goalkeeper Raya or the two centre backs This made it difficult for Arsenal to pass into midfield, so they played sideways or back to the keeper When one of their midfielders dropped deep to receive the ball, United would launched a three-man coordinated press and with Arsenal already light in midfield, this forced many turnovers. Mbeumo’s goal came from a mistake by Zubimendi while trying to pass the ball back. When United had the ball, they flooded the midfield and played through the center. This helped them control possession in dangerous areas. This worked because Arsenal defend with their wingers marking the opposition wingers first. Manchester City used similar approach in the Carabao Cup Final and Bournemouth did the same over the weekend and Arsenal struggled to get out of their own half. Raya made the second most passes (49) after Rice (50) because Bournemouth forced them to pass back to the keeper. Even Bournemouth’s winning goal came from pressing Arsenal after the ball was released by the goalkeeper to the defenders under no pressure. Mikel Arteta system relies heavily on the goalkeeper making line-breaking passes when the center backs are pressed early. Teams are starting to figure out Arteta’s system. #football #MUFC #ArsenalFC #GGMU --- *Football news by OddsFlow — AI predictions, verified and timestamped*