Mikel Arteta should make the unthinkable call to drop Bukayo Saka against Bayer Leverkusen.
Arsenal have a lot of work to do at the Emirates, as Bayer Leverkusen put Arteta’s side to the test in the Champions League round of 16 first leg.
If the Gunners want to reach the quarter-final, they’ll have to beat the Bundesliga outfit in N5, with the first leg ending in a 1-1 draw.
After the first leg, it became abundantly clear that the Arsenal manager needs to see more from his attack, which, surprisingly, might mean switching personnel on the wing.
Saka has been in abnormally poor form, and there’s reason to argue for him to be dropped against Leverkusen.
POV: You’re Mikel Arteta, are you dropping Bukayo Saka for Noni Madueke?
Noni Madueke should replace Bukayo Saka against Bayer Leverkusen
Arsenal fans have noticed Saka’s struggles in recent weeks, with the winger last scoring at the start of the month against Brighton.
It’s been an unusually lacklustre season for the 24-year-old, who has yet to hit double figures for goal contributions in the Premier League, having played 27 times.
If Saka’s hot and cold form was concerning, then his most recent performances have been really alarming.
In the first leg against Leverkusen, Saka was so poor, leading to him being substituted on the hour mark to be replaced by Noni Madueke.
Things didn’t get better for the Englishman against Everton, as he similarly made no impact.
There was, however, a silver lining in both games, and that’s how threatening Madueke looks when on the right wing.
If Mikel Arteta named this starting XI to face Bayer Leverkusen, how would YOU react?
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In Leverkusen, it was Madueke’s introduction that ultimately earned Arsenal a result, as without the summer signing, it’s difficult to imagine how the Gunners would have really rocked the opposition.
Therefore, the writing is on the wall for Arteta regarding who starts on the right on Tuesday night, as right now, Madueke is the better-performing winger.
It would be a blow for Saka to be dropped, but equally, it could just be the repercussion of his bad form that gets him fired up and ready to return to his best again.
Whether the boss is ready to make such a statement call remains to be seen, but the bottom line is, Arsenal need to win, so selecting the most in-form XI makes sense.
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