Erik ten Hag is assured Manchester United can frustrate Arsenal once more as his facet look to do the double over the Premier League leaders.
A mightily spectacular first half of the marketing campaign has the Gunners atop of the standings and followers starting to dream of a primary league crown since Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles triumphed in 2004.
Arsenal head into the weekend 5 factors away from Manchester City and boast a sport in hand on each the reigning champions and third-placed United, who will try to hack away at their eight-point hole on Sunday.
Ten Hag’s enhancing facet head to north London buoyed by an excellent unbeaten run and the information that they’re the one workforce to have crushed Mikel Arteta’s males within the league this season.
“It is obvious they are in a really good run and I think they deserve the position where they are now,” stated the United boss, who oversaw September’s 3-1 Old Trafford victory in opposition to the Gunners.
“It’s a really good structure, how they play. There’s a really good mentality, winning attitude in that team. That’s why they are top of the list.
“So, they are in a great run but it is up to us to beat that run and we will do everything to do that.”
Asked if he was shocked to see Arsenal main the league at this stage, Ten Hag stated: “No. In the moment we played them, you could already see that the manager with his coaching staff was for a long time already working on that team.
“You see really good structures in the team and I think they even improved during the first half of the season.
“There is a really good spirit as well in that team, so we know what to do. We have to be really good. We need a really good performance.
“But if we do, I think we have a good chance also to get out of that performance a good result.”
United have been simply minutes away from rolling into the Emirates Stadium on a 10-match profitable run in all competitions.
Michael Olise’s gorgeous late free-kick noticed Wednesday’s rearranged journey to Crystal Palace finish in a 1-1 draw – a irritating finish to an evening that additionally noticed Casemiro dominated out of the Arsenal conflict.
The Brazil midfielder, who has flourished since swapping Real Madrid for Old Trafford in the summertime, has to serve a one-match ban on Sunday after choosing up his fifth reserving of the season.
“We beat last time Arsenal without Casemiro,” Ten Hag stated. “We have an idea of how to do it (again), yeah.”
Diogo Dalot and Anthony Martial might be assessed earlier than travelling to the capital, the place Jadon Sancho is unlikely to function regardless of returning to first-team coaching.
Last month Ten Hag stated the 22-year-old was “not in the right status or fitness state” having completed a person health programme within the Netherlands quite than journey to the squad’s winter camp in Spain.
The United boss stated persistence was paramount with Sancho, who resumed group coaching on Tuesday having returned to Carrington earlier within the month.
Asked when Sancho will make a first-team return, Ten Hag stated: “I can’t answer that question.
“He is making the next step because it’s true (Tuesday) he was for the first time in team training, but team training is the final day before the game. So, we will extend that in the coming days, the coming week and then go step by step.”
Sancho’s return might be a lift to United, who at the moment look unlikely to make any additional signings this month having introduced in goalkeeper Jack Butland and striker Wout Weghorst on mortgage.
But Ten Hag, who noticed star Cristiano Ronaldo depart in November, has not utterly closed the door on additional January arrivals.
“I think as Manchester United always you have to look for solutions and always you have to look for better,” he stated.
“That is what we will do. We will be doing our research and if there are opportunities, yeah, we have to go for it.”
