Mikel Arteta urged to start ‘special’ Arsenal talent instead of Jorginho v West Ham

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Arsenal star Jorginho was brought into the lineup for Sunday’s clash with Liverpool, and was the best player on the pitch.

The veteran was selected ahead of Emile Smith Rowe as a more experienced and defensive option, and formed a pivot with Declan Rice which proved vital to the impressive victory.

His strong performances when called upon this season have made Jorginho a popular figure at Arsenal in recent months, and he has been a reliable performer. However, there is now a case to be made that he should drop out of the starting XI again, with Smith Rowe returning.

Charles Watts urges Mikel Arteta to start Emile Smith Rowe vs West Ham

Speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Charles Watts has now urged Mikel Arteta to bring Smith Rowe back into the starting XI for this game.

“I was sort of veering towards bringing Smith Rowe back into the side for this game, because of the way West Ham are probably going to set up, and feel like an extra attacker could well be important because of how West Ham could potentially operate,” he stated.

“I still haven’t changed my mind on that, but I wouldn’t complain if they kept the same team that he played at a weekend, with Jorginho in the midfield role, but just think Smith Rowe could well work for this one.”

Emile Smith Rowe needs more game time

There was intense speculation that Smith Rowe could join Sunday’s opponents on loan during the January transfer window, but he stayed at Arsenal, and started in last week’s victory away at Nottingham Forest.

He needs more regular game time if he is to hit his pre-injury levels of performance, but he did look sharp at times in the victory at the City Ground.

As well as Jorginho played against Liverpool, Smith Rowe could be the better pick against West Ham, as he could get in behind what is a fairly slow midfield in Edson Alvarez and Tomas Soucek.

Smith Rowe has been described as “special,” and he is a popular talent amongst the Arsenal fanbase. Sunday could see him gain another opportunity from the start in midfield, and should he manage to contribute a goal or assist, it would be a monumental boost for his confidence.

West Ham are winless in their last five games, and a more attacking lineup with the Englishman returning to the side could see Arsenal make it four wins in a row since the Winter break.