Arsenal are set to face Manchester United in a friendly at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles as they continue their pre-season preparations.
It is a repeat fixture of a pre-season friendly last year which took place at the MetLife Stadium in New York, in which Man United beat Arsenal 2-0 in a fiery encounter.
Premier League teams playing each other in pre-season has become more common, and in recent years Arsenal have faced Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Man United in friendlies, and they are also due to face Liverpool on this tour.
This has led to fierce encounters in what should be friendly matches to help build up fitness, and in some cases, has resulted in injury. Arsenal’s start to the 2021-22 season was heavily disrupted when Thomas Partey and Eddie Nketiah picked up injuries in a pre-season defeat to Chelsea.
Arsenal’s previous pre-season clash with Man United was too chaotic
It was a similar case at Man United last year, but United manager Erik ten Hag was perhaps to blame for the friendly encounter exploding into chaos, given what he said before the game.
“We don’t play friendly games,” was Ten Hag’ response when asked about Manchester United’s clash with Arsenal in New York last year.
Goals from Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho handed his side a victory, but this did not tell the whole story. Players had to be separated after Lisandro Martinez flew into a dangerous challenge on Bukayo Saka, and Ten Hag’s side were unleashing tackles which were far from fit for a friendly encounter.
Ten Hag was then dealt a blow as Amad Diallo picked up a serious ankle injury just 10 minutes after appearing as a substitute. For all their excessive intensity, United were the ones to be dealt a fresh injury problem.
Arsenal must be wary of injuries in Man Utd USA clash
Mikel Arteta’s side will face Man United again in the USA, and whilst it will be a good opportunity to explore tactical ideas and give academy players some game time against top-level opposition, Arteta must be wary about the way the opposition may play.
Facing rivals in pre-seasons is always a risk, given that there can never truly be a ‘friendly’ encounter with some sides, but the last thing Arsenal need is for a player to pick up an impact injury in a pre-season game.
“They are here to compete and to win as we are. It’s the job of the referee to stop it,” Arteta stated of Man United’s approach after the friendly last year.
Ten Hag’s side may likely adopt a similar approach in the upcoming clash, and with youngsters such as Ethan Nwaneri hoping to impress, as well as Gabriel Jesus and Jurrien Timber aiming to build fitness, an injury to any of these players would be a major setback.
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