While Erik Ten Hag deserves praise for what he has accomplished with United thus far, several errors made by the Dutch manager are turning out to be expensive.
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Marcus Rashford outmuscled Thomas Partey and scored with a scary 25-yard drive, forcing Mikel Arteta’s team to come from behind.
Six minutes later, Nketiah leveled the score, concluding a superb Arsenal play by ghosting, but United managed to hold the hosts at bay.
Nketiah, however, secured all three points for the Gunners in the final minute.
The Daily Star examines two of Ten Hag’s “bad” choices that might have hurt his team.
Wout Weghorst starting
The addition of Wout Weghorst was a great shock. Few people would have anticipated the Dutchman playing United’s greatest game to date after his subdued debut in the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.
Many would have preferred a strong frontline made up of Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, and Antony, especially when playing against a backline like the North Londoners’. However, Weghorst’s pressing prowess is rather good considering his height of almost 6 feet 6 inches.
The Red Devils were able to escape the Arsenal press by finding the ex-Burnley forward with a lofted pass or by launching it down the field to release pressure from Arsenal’s incredibly quick press thanks to his physical presence. He might not stay at United for the long run, but he is still a valuable and affordable option for Ten Hag.
David de Gea
At times, United’s football has been scintillating under Ten Hag. However, De Gea’s passing and distribution is certainly proving to be a weakness.
The Spaniard looks remarkably stiff when the ball is played into his feet and opposing fans are beginning to target him.
Every time the ball was passed back to him after he spooned a long pass attempt to Luke Shaw into the stands, Arsenal supporters started to boo and yell.
De Gea’s lack of confidence with the ball at his feet may cause the shot-stopper to give up one or two chances per game if Ten Hag insists on having his backline and goalkeeper play out from the back. With United appearing to be on the cusp of a title challenge, they cannot afford to give away any more cheap goaahains