Arsenal is back in action after the two-week international break provided a break for Mikel Arteta to rethink how to shape his struggling attack going forward. Unfortunately, the break was also met with bad news as both Mohammed Elneny and Sead Kolasinac have tested positive for COVID and will miss at least the next two matches. Combine that with Thomas Partey’s thigh injury, and options are limited in the midfield. Below is how I see Mikel Arteta setting up his team on Sunday vs. Leeds:
Keeper
Bernd Leno continues between the sticks without any real competition. Had a quiet international break, so he should be ready and raring to go against the high-flying Leeds attack.
Defense
Expect to see Arsenal revert back to a back three in this one as they try to absorb pressure and hit Leeds on the break. The newly-promoted side loves to play aggressive attacking football, and that should play right into the Gunners’ counter-attacking hands.
Gabriel continues to be the best player on the pitch for Arsenal and was yet again named player of the month, so he will anchor one of the three spots. Kieran Tierney played over 300 minutes over the international break and will no doubt be a bit weary, but with Kolasinac unavailable, he will have to slot in as the left sided anchor of the back three. The final spot would then come down to either Rob Holding, who is in great form, or David Luiz, and Arteta seems to be leaning towards using Rob Holding recently alongside Gabriel.
Midfield
The wide wing-back on the right will be the in-form Hector Bellerin as usual. Wide on the left, Bukayo Saka simply has to start despite playing a lot of minutes for England over the break. He is the most creative player in this Arsenal side at the moment, and it is a complete joy to see the young winger evolve and improve in every match. If Arteta deems it too much of a risk to play him after so many minutes, then Ainsley Maitland-Niles will slide in.
Without Partey or Elneny available, expect to see the central pivot of Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos start. Ceballos has had a slow start to the campaign and will be looking to assert himself and give Arteta a selection headache going forward. Xhaka is still a strong presence in the center of the pitch, despite his playing time dwindling a bit with the addition of Partey. This will be a real prove-it match for both of these Arsenal stalwarts.
Attack
This is where you expect to see Mikel Arteta change things up a bit. The current front three of Aubameyang, Lacazette, and Willian simply isn’t firing right now, and changes are necessary to spark this attack back into life.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang needs an opportunity to start centrally. Lacazette is all out of sorts in front of goal, and the entire attack is suffering because of it. Giving him a bit of a breather to find his form while allowing Arsenal’s best player to play his best position seems like a win-win at this juncture, and hopefully, this also brings Auba’s goalscoring form back as well.
At right-wing, I personally would like to see Nicolas Pepe selected. He needs a consistent run of games in order to hit the heights he is capable of, and for all the flack he receives due to his price tag, he has been in pretty solid form this season. Letting him start consistently in the Premier League will only enhance his goal return.
On the left, Reiss Nelson deserves the opportunity to start in the Premier League. Shoe-horning an out-of-form Willian into this side right now makes no sense, and by starting Nelson, you would have two wingers that love to take on defenders and get into good areas. How refreshing that would be.
Prediction
Going to Leeds out of the international break is a tough ask, but Arsenal simply need this win. Look for the Gunners to absorb the hosts’ pressure well and fire back on the break, using their immense pace upfront to hit the shaky Leeds back line. I expect this to be a high scoring affair, but one that Arsenal simply needs more. Expect the Gunners to find a way to win this one late in a classic.
Arsenal 3 – Leeds 2
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