Arsenal were disappointing in their draw against Tottenham Hotspur in North London Derby and Mikel Arteta arguably made a crucial error in his team selection.
The Gunners were toothless in attack at times, and struggled to keep possession in the Spurs half, and errors at the back saw them throw away a 2-1 lead.
There were a number of surprises in the starting XI, as winger Leandro Trossard was absent with an unexpected injury, and striker Gabriel Jesus moved over to the left wing with Eddie Nketiah through the middle.
This was perhaps a mistake, as Arsenal failed to click in attack for most of the game, and in hindsight, Reiss Nelson arguably deserved to start instead.
Nelson replaced Jesus in the second half and was a positive influence on the left wing, and his direct dribbling saw Arsenal improve somewhat in attack. With Nketiah dropping a poor performance and Jesus out of position on the left, this was the wrong call by Mikel Arteta.
Nelson deserved a chance
With Trossard out, it seemed that Nelson was the natural replacement for him, and there was some surprise that he wasn’t included in the starting lineup.
Against PSV in the Champions League, Nelson came off the bench and delivered an impressive cameo, with his pace and skill particularly standing out.
The 23-year-old deserved a chance against Spurs, having committed his future to the club in the summer, and he was impressive again when he eventually entered the pitch.
The attack looked unbalanced for most of the game, and perhaps he could have been the key to unlock it in the absence of first-choice option Gabriel Martinelli. While the Brazilian is out injured, Nelson will hope he can force his way into the starting XI with his bench cameos.
The team’s performance, and Nelson’s display off the bench, both arguably show that he should have been on the pitch from the very first minute of the derby.
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