Mikel Arteta must be bold with his team selection ahead of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg battle against Newcastle United.
There’s no time for Arteta to celebrate Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Manchester City, with another must-win clash coming up.
After Newcastle exposed the Gunners in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, the North Londoners were left with a heavy workload to complete in the North East.
Arsenal haven’t scored three or more goals at St James’ Park since 2011, with a staggering effort needed if Arteta’s side are to overturn the Magpies’ two-goal lead.
Mikel Arteta must drop Gabriel Martinelli for Ethan Nwaneri vs Newcastle
Beating Newcastle at St James’ Park won’t be easy but, the task is not impossible.
After the fixture, Arsenal will head to Dubai on a mid-season break, with ten days away from the action following Wednesday night’s drama.
For that reason, Arteta must be daring and select his most threatening lineup, which despite the highs against Man City, could see one key player dropped.
Gabriel Martinelli secured an assist against the champions playing on the right in place of Bukayo Saka but, the Brazilian should be cruelly axed against Newcastle for one reason.
Ethan Nwaneri’s form is simply too good to ignore, as seen when the Englishman was introduced against City to play on the right side.
The teenager took no time to assert his dominance, scoring in remarkable style just nine minutes after coming off the bench.
Considering that Arsenal need their greatest goal threats on show against Newcastle in order to overturn a two-goal deficit, Nwaneri would surely be the better pick over Martinelli.
Martinelli’s conviction in front of goal has been questioned this season whereas Nwaneri has been highly praised for his fearlessness and quality of finishing in the final third.
It would be a harsh switch for Arteta to make but, with Leandro Trossard shining against City and Nwaneri in hot scoring form, Martinelli might just be the only option to sacrifice to pave the way for the 17-year-old.
Nwaneri on course to break long-standing record
Nwaneri wrote his name into Premier League history with his goal against City, with the versatile forward closing in on another remarkable record.
The Hale End graduate needs only three goals to become the highest scorer for a Premier League side under the age of 18, a record currently held by Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney.
| Player | Goals |
| Wayne Rooney | 9 |
| Michael Owen | 9 |
| Ethan Nwaneri | 7 |
With seven goals already, Nwaneri needs to eclipse Rooney and Owen’s nine to become a record-breaker, with Newcastle the best place to add to his tally given the magnitude of the occasion.
Arteta wants to ease Nwaneri into the first team despite his clear capabilities at senior level but against the Magpies, there’s simply no time to waste when it comes to unleashing goal-scoring threat.
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