Set pieces

STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

STEP 4

STEP 5

1. 
   
   You can’t question the quality of the finish from Samir Nasri to put Arsenal 1-0 up in this crucial game. One thing we can question is the marking system that Manchester United deployed to defend Cesc Fabregas's right wing free-kick.
   
   United have five players holding a line on the edge of the 6-yard box; this is to give Edwin Van der Sar a clear area to come and collect the ball and to try and catch Arsenal offside from the free-kick, one marking man to man (Patrice Evra – Bacary Sagna) and four marking zonally (Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Dimitar Berbatov).
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2. 
   
   Manchester United have two players man marking between the 6-yard line and the penalty spot, Ronaldo - Mikael Silvestre and Gary Neville – Abou Diaby.
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3. 
   
   Manchester United have Ji-sung Park on the edge of the box looking to gain possession from any second ball from a potential clearance and to mark Theo Walcott.
   
   Out of the diagram are Anderson who was used as a one man wall to defend the free-kick and Wayne Rooney who stayed in a deeper position up field to provide an outlet should United gain possession and break on the counter attack.
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4. 
   
   Samir Nasri was left unmarked on the edge of the box which proved to be fatal as Dimitar Berbatov headed Cesc Fabregas’s free kick into his path and his shot put Arsenal 1-0 up.
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5. 
   
   Here’s how Manchester United could have stopped Samir Nasri scoring. In this situation Michael Carrick should have been positioned on the edge of the box marking Nasri rather than being tucked in behind Patrice Evra and in front of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.
   
   This would still of left United with a 7 v 5 advantage in the penalty box (including Edwin Van der Sar - 6ft 6in) with Vidic (6ft 2in), Ferdinand (6ft 4in), and Dimitar Berbatov (6ft 2in) protecting the United goal from the direct threat of William Gallas (5ft 11in) and Nicklas Bendtner (6ft 3in).
   
   When Berbatov headed the ball away Carrick would either of won the second ball directly or he would of put immediate pressure on Nasri making it very difficult to set himself to shoot.

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