Arsenal signing makes debut, Reiss Nelson rewarded and star gets second chance vs Sporting CP
The Europa League is back in Arsenal’s sights as preparations begin for Thursday’s round of 16 first leg against Sporting CP.
The Gunners earned a bye at this stage of the competition by leading their group – which consisted of PSV Eindhoven, FC Zürich and FK Bodo/Glimt – to a knockout stage play-off game against avoided one of the eight teams that moved out of the Champions League.
And with Barcelona eliminated, Arsenal expect to reach the final in Hungary at the end of May. With a Premier League title race underway, it remains to be seen whether Mikel Arteta’s side can juggle both competitions as squad depth will certainly play a big role.
READ MORE: Arsenal on course for £5.9million deal as Edu can begin fundraising process with summer eviction
With Thursday night’s clash being the north London outfit’s third game in eight days, it’s almost certain that the rotation will come into effect to some extent, especially as the Spaniard is ahead of the dramatic 3-2 win against Bournemouth alluded to.
“It depends, obviously we haven’t had two teams available in the last five months,” Arteta told reporters. “So we didn’t have more than 16/17 outfield players, so that would have been impossible. Let’s see if we have the chance, and if we want to manage the rotation that way, it’s a possibility.
“But in the end the players have to earn the right to play and it’s not because you have two games a week, so we’ll see what we can do.”
Now in the last few Premier League games where Arteta has decided to freshen things up, he has rarely made more than two changes to his starting line-up from the previous game. However, with a London derby three days later in Fulham, the chances of further changes are considerably higher.
So it’s not too surprising to see the likes of Matt Turner, Kieran Tierney, Jorginho and Rob Holding in the starting XI about an hour before kick-off in Lisbon. But what other changes could the Arsenal manager consider? So, football.london check it out
Kiwior debut
Jakub Kiwior joined the club in the January transfer window for £21m and so far he only made his debut for the Under-21s last Monday. A combination of Gabriel Magalhaes’ form and the Gunners’ defeat in the FA Cup fourth round ultimately meant the Poland international lacked competitive minutes.
However, that could change on Thursday as the centre-back could finally make his Arsenal debut. Arteta, who features in the club’s updated Europa League squad, revealed last week that the plan for Kiwior’s commitment to the Under-21s was to build on his match acuity.
“Obviously her [and Emile Smith Rowe] took a few minutes and at the moment they haven’t had much contact with different situations,” the Spaniard told reporters. “It was great to see them on the field because we’ll need them in the next few games.”
Nelson rewards
Reiss Nelson was Arsenal’s hero against Bournemouth. It was his cross that resulted in Ben White’s equalizer before, of course, scoring in the 97th minute to spark wild scenes at the Emirates Stadium and ensure their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table remained intact.
With those two key goals coming off the bench over a 20-minute break, what better way to reward such a positive impact than by starting in the next game? Considering the Gunners are a bit short in attacking zones at the moment, Nelson might get the nod wide.
Smith Rowe’s second chance
“We have alternatives. Emile can play in this position. We can move players, we also have Reiss who can give us width and threat in larger areas. We have to assess each opponent. Now we have Lisbon, it’s a really tough game.” Let’s hope we get a player or two back.”
These were Arteta’s comments on who can act as a central striker against Sporting after Leandro Trossard hobbled in the Bournemouth win. If Gabriel Jesus isn’t risked and Eddie Nketiah isn’t fit enough to return, then Gabriel Martinelli is an option after playing through the middle in the Belgian’s exit on Saturday.
Alternatively, the Arsenal manager can turn to Emile Smith Rowe. But despite naming the 22-year-old as a centre-forward, it would be a surprise if the Spaniard repeated this particular experiment with the attacking midfielder after the Europa League semi-final first-leg decision against Villarreal backfired during the 2020/21 season .
Although the Gunners’ No. 10, after failing to make an impact as an early substitute at the weekend, is understandably still looking for match sharpness and rhythm after such a long layoff, he will be keen for a second chance to prove he is ready to step up if needed.
CONTINUE READING:
Why Gabriel Jesus was in his Arsenal kit ahead of Bournemouth game as Instagram shots surfaced
Arsenal player ratings vs Bournemouth as Reiss Nelson seizes chance but Smith Rowe is poor
Martin Odegaard reacts on Instagram after what he did when Reiss Nelson scored Arsenal’s winner
Arsenal player Reiss Nelson ran his best ever after full-time as Emirates host
Shearer and Given agree on penalty error on four VAR checks at Arsenal v Bournemouth