The current atmosphere surrounding Arsenal is abnormal.
Mikel Arteta’s side have played in the Premier League, League Cup and Champions League.
Additionally, they do so amid an injury crisis, without signing Victor Gokeres in the summer, and with an aggressive attack.
Fortunately, there are ways in which Arteta can deal with the Swede’s absence for this weekend’s game against Sunderland, even with injuries aplenty.
Arsenal’s gokerless solution
One way for Arteta to solve the problem of Gokeres’ absence is to move Leandro Trossard from the wing to the centre.
The Belgian is currently in top form, contributing to seven goals in 13 games and, as Ian Wright points out, is arguably the club’s “best finisher”.
However, having the 30-year-old play up front weakens the left flank, especially with Gabriel Martinelli out and Ebelesi Eze playing in the center of the park.
Another, and bolder, solution could be to give Andre Harriman-Anous his first league start for the club, although he did not start against Brighton.
The 17-year-old made dangerous runs, picked up space and showed a higher skill level than many expected.
However, it is far more likely that Arteta will start Mikel Merino as number nine.
After all, the Spaniard has shown great decisiveness over the past year or so, scoring twice against Slavia Prague that week.
However, there is another option. It’s a bit bold, but could be particularly effective against Sunderland.
Arteta’s surprise solution to Gokeres’ injury
It is now very likely that Arteta will choose to start Merino on Saturday, but there are several reasons why he should consider handing over the rare top starting spot to Ethan Nwaneri.
Hale-Ender is primarily an attacking midfielder, playing most of last season on the right wing and receiving much praise. Arteta said the teenager “has the ability to win the ball in tight areas and run away a bit, like Jack Wilshere used to do.” Certainly, there are encouraging signs.
However, he is not used to playing as a nine. During his time at the academy, he played eight games in this position, scoring nine goals and providing two assists.
Women working 24/25 hours | |
|---|---|
Appearance | 37 |
minutes | 1378′ |
the goal | 9 |
assist | 2 |
Number of goals involved per match | 0.29 |
Hours per goal involvement | 125.27′ |
All stats via Transfermarkt | |
Additionally, Arteta said in a press conference last season that the youngster “can also play as a right winger and there is another position where I think he can develop, which is the number nine.”
It’s not hard to see why the manager thinks so, as the academy gem scored nine goals and provided two assists in just 1,378 minutes last season, the sort of performance you’d expect from a top centre-forward.
Finally, it’s his on-the-ball ability that makes the “phenomenal” game-changer described by former pro Stephen Warnock the perfect option for this game.
Unlike Merino, the 18-year-old has proven to be a talented dribbler and someone who can beat defenders with the ball at his feet, which could be incredibly useful as the Black Cats are likely to be sitting on their hands.
After all, while the traditional approach would have been to start Merino in place of the injured Gokeres, Arteta may be wise to start Nwaneri instead.
