Mikel Arteta has the opportunity to experiment with a new partnership on Wednesday night against Brighton.
The Gunners sit top of the Premier League table, and they extended this lead at the summit to four points with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Arsenal now face Brighton on Wednesday in the League Cup, which will understandably not be a priority for Arteta.
The Spaniard will likely rotate his team heavily, potentially giving opportunities to players who haven’t been granted regular game time recently.
Mikel Arteta could unearth Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie partnership against Brighton
Arsenal signed Cristhian Mosquera for just £13 million in the summer, while they also brought in Ecuadorian defender Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen.
Mosquera has been excellent thus far, filling in for William Saliba when he’s been injured. Meanwhile, Hincapie has been hindered by a groin injury, which has limited him to just two cameo appearances off the bench.
However, the Leverkusen loanee could be granted his full debut in a red and white shirt on Wednesday, alongside Mosquera at the heart of Arsenal’s defence.
Saliba is an injury doubt for the clash, so Arteta likely won’t risk the Frenchman. Meanwhile, Gabriel Magalhaes could do with a rest, meaning this new centre-back partnership is the most likely pairing for the encounter with Fabian Hurzeler’s men.
Arsenal have been able to rely on the imperious relationship between Saliba and Gabriel in recent years, so much so that another central defensive partnership hasn’t had the opportunity to form and blossom.
Given the intensity of the fixture schedule, and the increase in injuries as a result, it’s important that the Gunners find a plan B, and Mosquera alongside Hincapie could be it.
The Brighton game will give them an opportunity to get a feel for each other’s attributes, and on paper, they’re perfectly suited to each other.
Hincapie, like Gabriel, is an aggressive and front-footed defender who likes to snap in early on opposition attackers. Meanwhile, Mosquera is outstanding at taking care of situations that do unfold beyond the backline, using his athleticism.
Arsenal’s back-up midfield also needs a run-out together
Arsenal’s deputy centre-back partnership isn’t the only area of the Gunners’ back-up team that needs some time on the pitch to gel together.
So far this season, Arteta hasn’t been able to deploy his new second-string midfield trio alongside each other.
Christian Norgaard was out injured earlier in the season, meaning he’s hardly featured next to Mikel Merino and Ethan Nwaneri.
The three midfielders will, in theory, play together a lot this season in cup competitions, and their current level of cohesion likely isn’t very high.
Wednesday night could be their first opportunity to discover some chemistry alongside each other.
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