You would never say Arsenal and Manchester United are having similar seasons, but Sunday’s Premier League stalemate at Old Trafford was a reminder that they have something in common – a problem to solve up front.While the Gunners’ attacking flaw appears to be a glaring one, in that they have played much of this campaign without a recognised centre-forward, United do have some strikers, but their regular failure to find the net has left people questioning whether they are good enough to help Ruben Amorim’s side climb the table.Wayne Rooney had sympathy for Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund when he analysed their display for his former club on Match of the Day 2, but felt Arsenal’s issue again proved costly after watching them lose even more ground to Liverpool in an increasingly one-sided title race.”I always feel the teams with the best number nines have the best chance of winning things,” United’s all-time record goalscorer, who won five Premier League titles, told BBC Sport.”Liverpool are probably an exception to that, with the way they rotate the player they use through the middle, rather than having a regular number nine that the team is built around.”The number nine is still so important for them, though. Mohamed Salah, cutting in from wide areas, is their main goalscorer but, whether it is Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota or Darwin Nunez in the centre, they all chip in with a good amount of goals.”
While the Gunners controlled the game for long periods, goalscorer Declan Rice conceded afterwards that they did not have the cutting edge needed.”A proper number nine – a forward who has played there his whole life – brings something different to any team,” said Rooney.”I am talking about that natural goalscoring instinct, which a player who is trying to learn the position probably doesn’t have.”A midfielder playing forward like Merino can get hold of the ball and bring others into play, but what a goalscorer brings is that selfishness of wanting to be in the penalty area to finish chances.”As we saw on Sunday, Rice was trying to help Arsenal to fill that position, as the player who was always making forward runs and arriving in the box. He did really well in that advanced role, but he cannot always be there.”
Difficult day for ZirkzeeMerino may be a midfielder, but he has scored three Premier League goals this year. Hojland and Zirkzee have none.Those numbers may not suggest the answer to United’s goalscoring problems lies within their current squad, but Rooney argues that any striker would find it difficult playing up front for United at present.”Before they scored at the end of the first half, United had managed one shot at goal and none on target,” Rooney said.”Their problem was their lack of movement in midfield, because they could not make the passes to get up the pitch. Instead, they were forced to play balls up to Zirkzee and it was very hard for him to do anything with them.”The best centre-halves, like Arsenal’s are, force you under the ball in that situation or nick balls off you.”If the ball is getting chipped in to you around the halfway line, which is what Zirkzee was getting, and you haven’t got the support in and around you, then it is very difficult and you have to work extremely hard.”Firstly, you are fighting the centre-half and holding him off you. Then you’ve got to get the ball under control and try to bring someone into play.”If the quality of the pass up to you is not great, especially when it is coming to you around your neck like some of United’s passes were, it is even harder.”A lot of the time Zirkzee was getting given a 50-50 ball, the kind where you have to work wonders to win it. Ideally, what you want is your team to make a few passes and play out of the pressure, then as the striker you are getting the ball to feet, which makes it a lot easier, and you are closer to the opposition goal too.”For a centre-half, if you are facing your own goal and in your own half, then it makes their job a lot easier, but if you are higher up the pitch the striker has lots more options. The defender cannot be all over you because they are afraid of giving free-kicks away.”What United needed to do was get some control of the game, and get on the ball. Then the striker can make the little five yard bursts to get behind the defence, which give you a better chance of scoring.”
