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Arsenal face Manchester United this weekend in what could be described as their toughest game of the season so far.
The Gunners have played United twice this season and have failed to win both games, drawing 2-2 in the Premier League and losing 3-1 in the FA Cup. In fact, they have not tasted victory over United since 2017, when Granit Xhaka and Danny Welbeck scored the goals in a 2-0 win. Wayne Rooney started up front for United that day.
Ever since, it appears there has been something of a mental block, an intangible problem that has prevented the Gunners from getting one over on the Red Devils.
Perhaps much of that can be put down to the Jose Mourinho effect. In his entire career, spanning two spells with Chelsea and one with United, the Portuguese has lost twice to the Gunners. One of those games was the 2-0 defeat in 2017, the other came in the 2016 FA Cup final, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scoring the only goal.
Against Arsene Wenger, Mourinho, of course, enjoyed superb success over a man he dubbed a “specialist in failure”. On the Frenchman’s 1,000th game in charge, Chelsea welcomed Arsenal to Stamford Bridge and thumped Wenger’s side 6-0, and that mental stranglehold transmitted to Old Trafford.
Now, though, as the battle for Champions League qualification reaches a crunch period, the two sides are separated by a point. There can be no excuses from Unai Emery as he bids to mastermind a victory which would take the Gunners back into the top-four.
Mourinho – who never lost to Emery in La Liga, when the Portuguese was managing Real Madrid and the Gunners boss was with Valencia – has long since vacated the premises at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has restored some belief and swagger to United and helped the side to a miraculous Champions League comeback win over PSG in midweek, but Arsenal will perhaps enter the game as favourites.
They play Rennes on Thursday in the Europa League and Emery has repeatedly followed in Wenger’s footsteps by blooding youngsters in Europe’s secondary competition; he is likely to follow suit this time around as he bids to keep his first-team stars fresh for the weekend.
United, moreover, have injuries. The likes of Alexis Sanchez, who tormented his former club in the FA Cup tie earlier this season, Ander Herrera, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic are all on the sidelines; so thin is their squad, currently, that both Tahith Chong and Mason Greenwood came on as substitutes at Parc des Princes.
Arsenal are missing Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding and Welbeck, but they are long-term injuries and Emery will have long since known of their absences.
Their key starting XI is fit and firing and they will be out for blood. A 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur last time out was perhaps unjust as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed a last-minute penalty, while they also thumped AFC Bournemouth 5-1 in their last outing at the Emirates Stadium.
Against United, then, it is merely a case of overcoming the psychological barrier that seems to rear its head whenever the Red Devils come to town.
If Arsenal play as they can, they should win, and there was evidence against PSG that it was a case of the stars aligning more than any great display from United; Kylian Mbappe, indeed, twice lost his footing after being put through on goal, while the decision to award Marcus Rashford the chance to score from the penalty spot in the dying minutes has provoked fierce debate.
As Solskjaer prepares to take his men into battle once more, they are wounded and relying on their reserves. It has worked so far, but Arsenal are well-placed to take advantage of the deficiencies gripping the Red Devils.
Emery and his men should end their hoodoo this weekend, and deal United a bitter blow in their bid to qualify for the Champions League next season. There can be no more excuses.
