Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has now sent a warning to Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal will face-off against Tottenham Hotspur in a North London Derby encounter on Sunday.
The Gunners aren’t going into this fixture in great shape, though, as Mikel Arteta will have to contend with a number of key absences.
Declan Rice is suspended for this match, and there is an injury crisis ongoing in North London on top of that. Martin Odegaard is set to be sidelined for a spell having damaged his ankle whilst playing for Norway.
Riccardo Calafiori also sustained a knock on international duty, and Mikel Merino remains in treatment. There are fitness concerns over Gabriel Jesus too, and Takehiro Tomiyasu is still out of action.
Due to these factors, Arteta has a number of difficult tactical and selection decisions to make ahead of derby day.
- READ MORE: What is the North London Derby? Everything you need to know about the Arsenal and Tottenham rivalry
Theo Walcott discusses new Arsenal challenge for Mikel Arteta
Speaking to Football.London, Theo Walcott has highlighted the injury list that Arteta is now having to deal with, noting that this is something that the Spanish coach has never really been faced with before in his managerial career.
The former winger said: “This is the journey, and this is the test Mikel hasn’t really faced as an Arsenal manager having a lot of players out at the same time. He has had players out, of course, but players, you would say, haven’t been starters.
“I suppose, you know, maybe Partey is the exception, he’s probably one of them. But this will be the biggest test for Mikel as a manager to see if his squad is good enough to win this league because that’s the difference with Man City.”
Manchester City do indeed have a deep squad full of quality. In recent seasons they have still been able to claim league titles despite significant injuries being sustained by the likes of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.
Walcott continued, suggesting that the Gunners now need to prove that they can flourish with key players missing too: “Their [Manchester City’s] squad is… the bench is good enough to win the league. So this is where Mikel is going to have to be tested.”
Arsenal strength in depth
Arteta does have midfield options to turn to. Veteran duo Thomas Partey and Jorginho are available, and he could even turn to Hale End academy starlet Ethan Nwaneri.
On top of that, Kai Havertz is capable of playing in midfield. Whilst the German has impressed up front for the Gunners recently, Arteta might be forced to pull him deeper. Havertz played as a No. 10 for Germany this week, and his performances on the international stage will encourage the Arsenal manager.
In terms of coping with Calafiori’s absence, Jurrien Timber is likely to keep his place at left-back and is able to invert into midfield, giving his side more support in the middle of the park.
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