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[Image] 25y/o makes debut, Partey & Gabriel out – How Arsenal should line-up vs Dundalk

By on October 28, 2020

Runar-Alex-Runarsson

Arsenal take on Dundalk at the Emirates tomorrow in our second Europa League group stage game. This is the team I’d like to see Mikel Arteta select for the game…

Bernd Leno started against Rapid Vienna last week but I’d give him a rest tomorrow. We shouldn’t be playing our No.1 in the group stages and while I have reservations about whether Alex Runarsson is ready [clearly Arteta does too], I’d hand the 25-year-old his debut for this one.

I was pleased to see Arsenal go with a more traditional back four shape against Leicester City and we looked very solid at the back for most of the game. Let’s hope this is how Arteta lines-up from now on.

That said, I’d make plenty of changes tomorrow night with Gabriel left out to protect him for the United trip. The Brazilian has already become a key player for Arsenal so we shouldn’t risk him in the Europa League, despite our injury problems at the back.

David Luiz is set to miss the visit of Dundalk with a muscle injury that forced him off against Leicester so Shkodran Mustafi will come in. This game is expected to come too soon for Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari remains out along with Rob Holding.

Sokratis isn’t eligible so Arteta has very few centre-back options. He’ll probably risk Gabriel but I’d rather just play Sead Kolasinac alongside Mustafi. Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney should also be rested with Cedric Soares and Ainsley Maitland-Niles recalled.

In midfield, I hope Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka are given a breather ahead of Sunday’s trip to Manchester United with Dani Ceballos lining-up alongside Mohamed Elneny in the middle of the park.

I’d like to see Arsenal play more of a 4-2-3-1 formation to try and get more creativity in the final third. With Mesut Ozil obviously unavailable we don’t have too many natural No.10’s but Joe Willock could be given a chance to impress.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette should all drop out while Willian isn’t expected to be available due to a calf issue. Therefore, I would go with Eddie Nketiah leading the line up front for Arsenal flanked by Reiss Nelson and Nicolas Pepe.

This would be my Arsenal XI:

football formations

6 Comments

  1. Raz

    October 28, 2020 at 6:30 pm

    Please, all the other teams plays their youth at the back. Why is Arteta becoming a destroyer of Arsenal. William Silabi is even far better than David, Holding, Mustafi them. Give the boy the chance dont break him just as you did with Ozil, manage the human resources at your disposal well. Shirt

  2. Raz

    October 28, 2020 at 6:39 pm

    Please we want to see William Saliba, I followed that young videos in and he has everything,speed, ball control and he a great tackler. What more do you want??? Arteta your days could be numbered soon from what things look like. There is Manchester again and we will be crashed again with your poor team selection, by the way you weren’t the best player. I think William Saliba is better player than you happen to be. Are you jealous of the French youth player or what? Play the boy and the truth will come out.

  3. Ade Ebimomi

    October 29, 2020 at 10:07 am

    Our long-gone goalkeeper, Martinez, gave Arteta the positives he enjoyed during the later end of last season. With him gone now, Arsenal and Arteta have both been exposed for whom they are: still a very pedestrian pair. The magic and the magician are gone in Martinez, and Arsenal will most definitely finish outside of the Top 6 at the end of the season. Arteta and his team are certainly not good enough for the Top 4

  4. Griffins

    October 29, 2020 at 10:57 am

    ithink what arteta is doing is like he want to destroy our team instead of playing mustafi less saliba play the 1st XI think he has good ball control and also allow me to say that his chacter is as well as Gabriel .He has that ability to tackle ball and he is rare to make blander

  5. Donald

    October 29, 2020 at 3:37 pm

    I disagree with you, he should play ceballos and xhaka, fact! if you’ve watched our games, elneny is integral in that team, he and partey will make our main stable midfield, xhaka will overwork partey, then, xhaka should also prove his worth in our team, it’s time players were actually played on performance merit, and Arteta should identify his strongest team instead of always! rotating his squad

  6. OLOLO FIDELIS

    October 29, 2020 at 4:34 pm

    I do think William Saliba should be giving the chance. ARTETA is getting a few things wrong. let him not think he is untouchable. I SUPPOSED HE USE KT, GM, & WS FROM THE BACK. from midfield, he should use bukayo saka, partey, mohamed, & maitlaniles. from attack, he should use pepe, auba & william.

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