High-pressing United made Arsenal self-destruct, but will have to watch out for David Silva

How Manchester United’s high press forced Arsenal into costly mistakes, plus why David Silva can be the difference in the Manchester derby.

Manchester United pressed high up the pitch to send Arsenal into self-destruction mode in the Premier League on Saturday. The same tactic can help United win next week’s derby against leaders Manchester City, but only if the Red Devils are mindful of David Silva’s runs forward.

Winning because of mistakes almost takes away the credit due the victors, even when those mistakes have been forced by a smart plan and better execution.

United know the feeling after profiting from two giveaways by the Arsenal defense to help spark a 3-1 win in the Premier League on Saturday. United were 2-0 up in barely 10 minutes at the Etihad Stadium after Gunners center-backs Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi gifted the ball to their visitors deep in the final third.

While both Arsenal defenders took leave of their senses, their mistakes owed as much to United’s smart plan to press high, as they did to basic human error.

Right from the off, the Red Devils had three and sometimes four players pushed up against Arsenal’s back three. Striker Romelu Lukaku, winger Anthony Martial, roving forward Jesse Lingard and playmaker Paul Pogba carried out the plan to harass Gunners defenders in possession.

Each of the visitors’ two opening goals showed how ruthlessly effective their pressing tactics were. Martial and Lukaku were pressed right up on the last line of defense, just outside the Arsenal box.

Lingard, who had led an unsuccessful attack, found himself dispossessed by Koscielny. The second Koscielny had pinched the ball, Pogba strode forward to close him down. As he did, Nemanja Matic came forward to take away a pass to Alexis Sanchez.

Next: Team of the Week: De Gea, Pogba and Silva involved

With Pogba in front, Lingard closing from behind and no obvious forward pass, Koscielny tried a risky cross-field ball to Sead Kolasinac. The errant pass was intercepted by Antonio Valencia, who had raided forward from right wing-back.

A smart one-two between Valencia and Pogba saw the former open the scoring.

As a team, United had pressed high all over the pitch. But the close attention they paid to Arsenal’s back three proved decisive.

So it proved again moments later, when Lingard ran down Koscielny, forcing him to roll the ball to Mustafi. Lingard kept running and soon closed in on the latter, while Martial and Lukaku stayed pinned to Koscielny and Nacho Monreal, respectively.

The presence of Martial and Lukaku meant Mustafi couldn’t go wide. Instead, he had to try and launch the ball forward or else play it back to goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Caught in two minds, the German was soon robbed of the ball by Lingard, who eventually finished a fine move to double United’s lead.

United’s high press had worked again. The strategy succeeded for two reasons.

First, manager Jose Mourinho’s decision to play three center-backs gave United a numbers advantage against Arsenal forwards Alexis Sanchez and Alexandre Lacazette. It also meant United could afford to commit the rest of their outfield players to pressing higher up the pitch.

The responsibility brought out the best in Lingard, who was again terrific as a roving worker bee in the middle. His performances in these areas are earning Lingard praise from many, including James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph:

Pressing high was a smart approach from United because it targeted Arsenal’s habit of playing out from the back, as well as the Gunners’ penchant for sloppy mistakes.

Arsenal build attacks from deep with steady possession beginning in defense on manager Arsene Wenger’s watch. But while Wenger’s teams have always been capable of producing soccer that’s pleasing on the eye, they’ve also often been guilty of self-destruction.

Koscielny, Mustafi and Monreal lack pace and can also be culpable of dwelling on the ball. Deep-lying midfield playmaker Granit Xhaka also has moments when his choices in possession defy logic and make life easier for the opposition.

United must use the same high pressing when they face derby rivals City in the summit meeting of the league’s top two at Old Trafford next Sunday. City also love to play out from the back, with every defender and even the goalkeeper expected to chip in.

Mourinho strangely didn’t have United press high in the same fixture last season, a game the Red Devils lost 2-1. In fairness, United didn’t have the pace of Lukaku up top then, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney far less swift and mobile.

United are better-equipped to press from the front this time, but they would be wise to commit fewer midfielders to the task. Mourinho must make sure his players don’t yield as much space in the middle as they did against Arsenal.

If they do, Silva will run riot in the red half of Manchester. The 31-year-old Spaniard is still the player who makes City tick.

Silva dominates the advanced areas of midfield and remains a master of finding space in the final third. Those skills showed up throughout Silva’s match-winning display to help the leaders beat West Ham 2-1 on Sunday, with the midfield schemer netting the decisive goal.

Sky Sports Statto itemized how effectively Silva tormented the Hammers:

Silva was freed up to make more runs into the box, like the one from which he scored the winner, once manager Pep Guardiola brought Gabriel Jesus off the bench. Introducing the Brazil international in the second half gave City two strikers and took attention away from Silva’s forward movement.

The change in shape also meant Kevin De Bruyne could drop a little deeper and get on the ball more. His increased workload was highlighted by the exquisite chip to create Silva’s goal.

De Bruyne came good, but Silva was the star of the show. When he studies United’s performance against Arsenal, Silva will back himself to control the derby after how heavily Gunners’ playmaker Mesut Ozil was involved on Saturday.

WhoScored.com outlined Ozil’s busy evening:

Rather than letting their midfield push on, United should condense their shape in the middle and force Silva, De Bruyne and Co. to play through a block. Mourinho has no choice but to change things in midfield with Pogba set to miss the derby through suspension thanks to his red card against the Gunners.

Without Pogba, United must rely on the pace and energy of their front three to press from the front against City. But their midfield line will have to be flatter and deeper to deny Silva the time and space to weave his magic.