This weekend, Arsenal will play an early test of their Premier League title prospects when they travel to Aston Villa.

In the opening match of the new season, the Gunners defeated Wolves 2-0, with goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka for the home team.

Jurrien Timber is back in action for Arsenal ahead of their trip to Villa Park on opening weekend, so they have a comparatively clean sheet of health.

The Dutch defender was substituted in the second half of Arsenal’s match against Wolves, after missing the team’s final two preseason games.

Takehiro Tomiyasu’s knee injury kept him out of Arsenal’s preseason tour of the United States, and it will take him several weeks to return. Additionally sidelined due to a hamstring injury sustained during Euro 2024 is Kieran Tierney.

Despite struggling with a hip issue, Fabio Vieira could be able to play this weekend.

Leandro Trossard could replace Gabriel Martinelli on the left, but Mikel Arteta may stick with the same starting lineup against Unai Emery’s team.

Summertime acquisition After staying on the bench last Saturday, Riccardo Calafiori is healthy and available to play if the Gunners manager decides to make changes.

Along with Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, David Raya, and Gabriel Magalhães, he regularly plays center-half with William Saliba. This week, Arsenal’s five stars were chosen in the PFA Team of the Season.

predicted the lineup for Arsenal vs. Villa
Rice, Saka, Havertz, Martinelli, Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Odegaard, and Partey

After adding three defenders and one shooter so far this summer, Manchester United supporters are eager for the squad to sign a midfield player. The Red Devils should make one soon, but not in the way you might expect.

Dan Ashworth has already had an impact on several of Manchester United’s summer transfer acquisitions. It’s not out of the ordinary for the former sports director of Newcastle United to be thinking ahead while the team keeps making improvements for the here and now.

Chido Obi-Martin, the standout player for Arsenal, is a perfect example of the kind of player Manchester United wants to sign.

Similarly, The Athletic notes that Sekou Kone of Guidars FC in Mali will be joining the Red Devils. Kone, who plays for the team, was born in 2006.

Though he mostly plays defensive middle, the 18-year-old is regarded as a strong player with the ability to play as a #6. Many teams were interested in signing Kone this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano, but Manchester United beat them to it.

Man Utd considers Kone, like they do Chido Obi-Martin, to be a long-term player. The Mali kid is headed to a totally different country, and the Red Devils know it might take some time for them to get used to it.

The 18-year-old need just turn to Yves Bissouma of Tottenham for guidance on the future. The 27-year-old travelled to France with LOSC Lille when he was 19 years old. After that, he played for Brighton until he turned 21 before joining Spurs.

Kone will like to pursue a career along these lines. As demonstrated by the recent success of Garnacho, Diallo, and Mainoo, Man United is a good place for young players to develop and break into the first squad. All the 18-year-old has to do is make sure he puts a lot of effort into his game.

With the addition of another excellent talent, the future appears bright for the Red Devils. Let’s hope Kone can mature as expected and make the first squad in the upcoming years.

The first game of the Premier League season between Manchester United and Fulham provided an early look at Erik ten Hag’s tactical changes for the new season. Despite winning by a slim margin of 1-0, the Red Devils’ performance revealed some interesting changes, most notably the use of a 4-2-2-2 configuration without a striker. Ten Hag, however, is anticipated to switch back to a more comfortable 4-2-3-1 configuration and make two significant changes to the starting lineup as United gets ready to play Brighton & Hove Albion this Saturday.

Strikerless 4-2-2-2: A Test Configuration

Many were taken aback when Ten Hag used a 4-2-2-2 formation without a striker against Fulham. Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes took turns playing advanced midfield duties and diving deep to connect with the middle. The goal of this strategy was to increase attacking fluidity so that United could control the midfield and set the pace of the match. Though it had several drawbacks, the method was efficient in terms of possession and control. In the absence of a typical striker, United occasionally found it difficult to generate clear-cut opportunities because there were fewer players in the box during offensive phases.

The system let United control the game’s flow in spite of these obstacles. The absence of a central striker, meanwhile, may have been a stopgap tactic because of Rasmus Højlund’s and Joshua Zirkzee’s injuries and fitness issues. Ten Hag may decide to occasionally adopt this formation during the season because both players are still in their early stages of development.

Garnacho and Zirkzee are anticipated to begin

Ten Hag is probably going to go back to his favourite 4-2-3-1 configuration for the impending match against Brighton. Two significant changes will result from this switch: Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee will start as the starting lineup members.

Zirkzee, the player who won the match against Fulham, is anticipated to start at the centre of the attack. In the first game, the youthful forward won Man of the Match honours after demonstrating his ability to combine with the midfield and hold up play. Being a conventional number nine will provide United the attacking focal point they lacked in the last encounter, giving wide players like Garnacho and Marcus Rashford the opportunity to take advantage of the gaps he creates.

On the right wing, Garnacho, who had proven himself as a starter the previous year, is anticipated to take Amad’s place. The youthful Argentine winger will be essential in testing Brighton’s defence because of his quickness, dribbling prowess, and directness.

Maguire’s Robust Exhibition Presents a Conundrum

Ten Hag faces a selection conundrum in light of Harry Maguire’s outstanding display against Fulham. The England international was a pillar of strength in the back, controlling the aerial game with his height and making key interceptions and clearances. Maguire’s defensive tenacity was a major contributor to United’s clean sheet, despite some reservations about his ball distribution.

Ten Hag must make a difficult choice because Matthijs de Ligt, a recent addition, is waiting in the wings. After substituting for Lisandro Martínez against Fulham, De Ligt is anticipated to eventually be Lisandro Martínez’s first choice partner. That being said, it would be unjust to bench Maguire for the trip to Amex Stadium given his impressive performance. Ten Hag might decide to start Maguire again, while De Ligt might come off the bench in the latter stages of the match.

Man United’s starting lineup vs Brighton was predicted