If Arsenal suffer any more midfield casualties before Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, Mikel Arteta might have to register himself to play.
It has been a calamitous fortnight for the Gunners with injuries and suspension depleting Arteta’s midfield options ahead of one of their most pivotal fixtures of this and any season.
The bad luck began when Mikel Merino, the £31.6m signing from Real Sociedad, injured his shoulder in his first training session at the club’s London Colney base at the end of August.
A couple of days later, Declan Rice was sent off in controversial circumstances against Brighton, receiving a second yellow card for kicking the ball away which rules him out of Arsenal’s trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Both Merino and Rice are confirmed absentees, and they could be joined in the stands by captain Martin Odegaard after he sprained his ankle during Norway’s 2-1 win over Austria on Monday.
Odegaard is flying back to London on Tuesday where he will have an MRI scan. He was pictured using crutches as he boarded a plane in Oslo which raises big doubts over his involvement this weekend.
If Odegaard is unfit to play it will mean that Arteta’s first-choice midfield trio will be completely wiped out. Since joining Arsenal, Rice has started 40 Premier League games out of a possible 41, while Odegaard has featured in 111 of the club’s last 117 matches since the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
It will be a major test of Arsenal’s depth, especially after the departure of useful squad players Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira to Fulham and Porto respectively during the summer transfer window.
Here are three ways Arteta could configure his midfield against Spurs:
Plan A
Thomas Partey has suddenly become Arsenal’s most important player. The Ghanaian has been beset by injuries since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2020 but has started all three games this term and will be the first name on Arteta’s teamsheet on Sunday.
He will almost certainly be joined by Jorginho, who has been regularly picked by Arteta for big games. The Italian would fill in as a midfield screen in front of the back four allowing Partey to play in a more advanced box-to-box role.
Jorginho hasn’t yet played in the Premier League this season, being an unused substitute in all three fixtures.
The third slot is likely to be filled by either Kai Havertz or Leandro Trossard. Arteta could drop Havertz back into midfield if Gabriel Jesus shrugs off a groin injury that kept him out of the 1-1 draw against Brighton.
Arteta would surely rather keep Havertz up front considering how effective he has been in that role – the German has contributed 10 goals and eight assists in 16 league games as a striker – but his options are limited.
Alternatively, he could turn to the versatile Trossard to play as a No 10 in possession and a third central midfielder when Spurs have the ball. Picking Trossard would allow Havertz to continue up front and minimise the disruption.
The wildcard
A wildcard option for Arteta is using Oleksandr Zinchenko in midfield. The Ukrainian has generally played as an inverted full-back during his time in England but regularly lines up in midfield for his country.
Picking Zinchenko alongside Jorginho and Partey may appear to be a cautious move given he generally plays in defence, but he is more assured going forward than he is at the back and has exceptional technique.
That is likely to be Zinchenko’s best chance of starting in the derby as Arteta favours more reliable defenders in big matches. Jurrien Timber has started Arsenal’s last two league games at left-back and is an outside pick to play in midfield.
The Dutchman has frequently popped up in central zones and is sufficiently accomplished on the ball to fill in there for a game or two. However, with Riccardo Calafiori also an injury doubt, he is likely to be required in the back four.
Turn to youth
Part of the reason that Arsenal sold Smith Rowe and loaned Vieira to Porto was because Arteta believes that 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri can establish himself in the first-team squad.
Nwaneri, who made his Premier League debut aged just 15 in September 2022, impressed during pre-season and made a big impact off the bench in Arsenal’s penultimate pre-season friendly against Bayer Leverkusen.
Arteta spoke glowingly about Nwaneri and fellow youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly after that 4-0 win against the Bundesliga champions in August.
“If they continue like they are doing right now, there is no difference whether they come from the academy or we sign them from Germany or Argentina or Italy,” he said.
“If they are showing the quality that they have, the personality they have to play at this level… let’s see. Why would we put any restrictions? If they deserve minutes, they get minutes.”
Thrusting Nwaneri into a derby day cauldron would be a monumental show of faith from Arteta and while it is unlikely, it would add an element of unknown that could work in Arsenal’s favour.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/Vbxfj0o
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