Arsenal visit Liverpool on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League, and Mikel Arteta has some key team selection decisions to make.
The Gunners will be looking to keep their 100% record this season going on Merseyside, and secure their first victory at Anfield since 2012.
Mikel Arteta’s side strolled to a 5-0 win over Leeds in their last match and will subsequently be full of confidence heading to the north-west.
While the majority of the Spaniard’s starting eleven for the clash with Arne Slot’s team picks itself, there are a few contentious areas which will need deciding.
Steve Nicol thinks Mikel Arteta will leave Eberechi Eze on the bench for Liverpool clash
Arsenal will be without Bukayo Saka for the trip to Anfield, which should mean Noni Madueke moves from the left to the right wing.
This will create space for one of Eberechi Eze, Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard to start on the left, while Martin Odegaard’s potential absence could also create another opening in the team.
Given Eze can operate as Odegaard’s deputy or on the left, there is a strong chance he’ll be handed his first Arsenal appearance against Liverpool.
That said, Eze only signed last week, and may not be ready to come straight into Arteta’s team, particularly for a game of such magnitude.
Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol thinks the Spaniard will leave the new signing on the bench for this reason.
“Well, that was my thinking for this weekend, does Eze start?” Nichol pondered on the Highbury Squad YouTube channel.
“You know, I think Arteta is the type of guy who will think we’re going to Anfield, a place where it’s going to be really tough. Always is for us. As he’s only been with us for a week, am I going to throw him in when he doesn’t maybe understand all the things that we do?
“I just get the feeling that Arteta is the type of guy who will go, ‘he doesn’t understand yet what we do’, and it’s it’s away from home. It’s at Liverpool and that’s kind of what I was thinking about whether he would start.”
Arsenal should keep Eberechi Eze on the bench to be an impact substitute
Eze has been described as ‘incredible’ by Paul Merson.
However, Nicol is right; Eze won’t be up to speed with Arsenal’s pressing structure and general patterns of play yet, which will be so crucial in this game, against one of the best teams in the world.
Thus, Arteta should opt to keep the 27-year-old on the bench, and call upon him to make an impact later in the encounter if needed.
Instead, the Spaniard should start Martinelli off the left. The Brazilian’s defensive work will be invaluable against the Merseysiders, particularly on the Gunners’ left due to the presence of Mo Salah.
While the 24-year-old’s offensive output has declined, he still offers tenacity and a work rate not matched in many other wingers, and this will be crucial to helping lock down the likes of Salah and whoever Slot picks at right-back.
It’s a no-brainer for Arteta.
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