Sam Allardyce believes Manchester United’s defence is the team’s biggest issue, while the former England manager has praised Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
United and Arsenal are battling for the final Champions League spot, currently sitting fourth and sixth respectively in the Premier League.
Allardyce believes United have the ‘most talented’ team in the league outside of Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea but says they will continue to struggle due to their ‘shocking’ defence.
‘The question is, can Manchester United – with the biggest and probably the most talented squad outside of the top three – come together and produce a run of games where they’re not going to throw silly points away,’ Allardyce told Ladbrokes.
‘Ralf Rangnick is finding it difficult to get the right balance between attack and defence at the minute. I find United’s defending absolutely shocking at the moment.
‘David de Gea has made more saves than just about every other goalkeeper in the Premier League this season – that just shows you where Man United’s problems lie.
‘As a manager, it’s your responsibility to put that right. If he puts it right, he could pinch that fourth spot – but if nothing changes then they’re obviously going to find it difficult.
‘I know that traditionally you’ve got to attack, attack, attack at Man United, but no team can attack without great defensive work.
‘It doesn’t matter what position you’re in in the table, you can’t underestimate the value of a strong defence. If you want to win the league, you’ve got to have the best defensive record.
‘It’s not rocket science, but nobody wants to talk about it because they perceive it as one of the negative sides of the game, when in reality, it’s probably the most important aspect.’
Allardyce – who has managed clubs like Bolton Wanderers, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Everton and West Brom – also revealed his admiration for Arteta.
Arsenal are the favourites to finish fourth this campaign and Allardyce believes Arteta deserves credit for their performances on the pitch, and some of the decisions he has made off it.
Arteta stripped Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of the Gunners captaincy in December and told Arsenal to offload him in January, with Barcelona signing the striker on a free transfer.
‘Arsenal are a good young team who seem to be improving all the time,’ Allardyce said.
‘Mikel Arteta has faced so many challenges in such a short time as a manager, and he’s dealt with them head-on. He’s decided that he’s going to be strong, which you have to admire; I certainly admire him for that.
‘He’s had a lot of big, senior players who haven’t been pulling their weight, and personally I think he’s dealt with those situations very well.
‘[Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang, in particular, was the most recent example. That incident showed everyone at the football club that it doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter how big you think you are – if you’ve been honoured with the captain’s armband for a club like Arsenal, to disrespect that, to disrespect the manager, and to disrespect Arsenal Football Club, I can’t sympathise with how Arteta deals with you.
‘He dealt with that magnificently well, because it shows the rest of the team that there’s a certain level of expectation when it comes to discipline, and if you’re not going to adhere to that, you’re gone.’
