William Saliba has been left out of the Arsenal starting XI vs Newcastle United.
The Gunners are at St James’ Park to take on the Magpies. They have lost each of their last three fixtures in that stadium, which is not a good record at all.
Arsenal fans were expecting a strong starting line-up from Mikel Arteta, but it is a big surprise to see Saliba left on the bench.
Summer signing Cristhian Mosquera has been named alongside Gabriel Magalhaes in the heart of the defence.
Arsenal supporters have had their say on that decision.
Arsenal fans react as Cristhian Mosquera starts ahead of William Saliba vs Newcastle
William Saliba is one of Arsenal’s best players.
The Frenchman is among the biggest reasons why the Gunners have maintained the best defence in the Premier League over the last two years, and his absence used to be a big cause for concern.
However, after seeing Mosquera start in Saliba’s place, every Arsenal fan is saying the same thing – they are not worried.
One Arsenal fan tweeted: “Mosquera in for Saliba and no one is batting an eyelid. We’ve indeed come a long way!”
Another wrote: “I love that Eze can put Odegaard on the bench and Mosquera can do the same to Saliba. And Vice Versa. And no drop in quality.”
“Saliba not playing? My heart is at peace because Mosquera is also HIM,” said another.
Another Arsenal supporter wrote: “Saliba not starting a huge game and I Feel Safe. This is the power of Mosquera.”
“This is the lineup we wanted. Only head scratcher is Saliba benched, but can’t even be mad cause Mosquera’s been playing out of his skin.”
Cristhian Mosquera’s record at Arsenal is incredible
Arsenal signed Mosquera from Valencia for just £13 million in the summer.
That has to go down as one of the biggest bargains of the season, as he has looked flawless in Saliba’s absence.
In the six games Mosquera has played for Arsenal, he has conceded just one goal while he was on the pitch – that was the unstoppable strike from Dominik Szoboszlai.
Arsenal fans are right not to be worried about Saliba’s absence. Mosquera is more than good enough to do the job.
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