After a rough period, things are starting to look better for Arsenal. In their two games since the international break they’ve managed more goals than they did in their seven matches prior. They cannot afford to let this form slip.
Liverpool are simply not giving any ground up as it stands in the title race. With the Reds taking on Manchester City this weekend though, this could be a chance for the Gunners to make up some points.
As a result it’s crucial that Mikel Arteta gets his team selection spot on for this weekend’s clash with West Ham at the London Stadium.
If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. It really is as simple as that and when Mikel Arteta has, for what feels like the first time in an eternity, almost the majority of his squad available to him, tweaks are not necessary. Yes, there is the worry of Manchester United on the horizon and in a midweek clash, yet the Gunners have just come back from an international break, well rested and it shows.
The team I have gone for therefore stays exactly the same as it was when it put five past an impressive Sporting CP side who many would rank above the likes of West Ham based on the season’s showing. Hopefully the opportunity to make changes during the game and save players for the visit of Ruben Amorim’s team on Wednesday can see Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and perhaps Gabriel Magalhaes retreat from play.
Gabriel is the only concern and should he be forced to the bench then I would be tempted to move Riccardo Calafiori across and start Myles Lewis-Skelly – although both Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney are now options too, the latter of whom needs game time. Elsewhere, Jorginho proved against Nottingham Forest to be a great option in midfield should Arteta wish to move some players around.
