The manager of Arsenal football club Mikel Arteta has noted that the club is heading in the right direction after recording a 0-0 draw at home against Manchester United on Saturday, January 30.
Arsenal went into the game with 6 league matches unbeaten run and they were able to hold their own against in-form Manchester United. Though United had more of the ball and made 566 passes as against Arsenal’s 436 passes, Arsenal showed their hunger to score by recording 17 shots, 3 of which were on target, while United recorded 14 shots.
In the match that saw Manchester United claimed 57 percent of the ball as against Arsenal’s 43 percent, the home team lost a match-winning opportunity when Alexandre Lacazette’s shot hit the crossbar in the second half.
Even though the club played without the club’s captain and striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the attack was as sharp as usual and Arsenal would have gotten the three points late in the game if Nicolas Pepe had converted his chance.
Arsenal played without their two brightest youngsters Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney who are battling to regain full fitness after receiving knocks on January 26 in Arsenal’s league match against Southampton.
The one point Arsenal gained in their league match against Manchester United on Saturday has kept Mikel Arteta and his boys on the 9th spot on the league table with 31 points in 21 league games.
After the game, Mikel Arteta described Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Manchester United as a “fair result”, he acknowledged that Arsenal had the biggest chance to win the match in the second half but it was not to be.
“It was a big battle, both teams wanted to win, and it was a really competitive match”, Arteta said. “They had some moments in the first half, and we had the biggest moments in the second half, but to make the difference you need to score when we had the big chances we had.
“Both managers probably think we should have won it, it was a big game and we played face to face against each other. Three of our best players were out and that probably has an impact, but I’m really happy with the players today.
“It is [a sign of progress]. Considering the circumstances and all the players we don’t have, it was a big test for us, and I think the team turned up and showed how much they wanted to win the game.
“Everyone involved in the game tried their best and gave a really strong performance. We had some bad decisions in the first half where we lost the ball in some dangerous positions, but the moment we started to correct that and we were better in our high press, the team looked different and we were there to win the game.
“We’ve been on a really strong run and we’ve faced some difficult opponents. The schedule is crazy, and we are losing players all the time, but we are in the right direction.”
⛔️ Seven clean sheets from eight
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 30, 2021
💪 A spirited team display
1️⃣ But just one point
📺 Relive the action from #ARSMUN 👇 pic.twitter.com/XIgExPfpZm
On why Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did not feature in the match, Arsenal’s coach revealed that the Gabonese striker had to stay away from the team in line with Covid-19 protocol because he left Arsenal’s bubble to go and take care of his sick mother.
“We have to follow the rules and protocols and the protocols say he can’t be involved right now and we have to respect that”, Arteta said.
