Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres warms up ahead of the UEFA Champions League, league phase match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy. (Image: PA)
Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres warms up ahead of the UEFA Champions League, league phase match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy. (Image: PA)
Attention turns back towards club football as the three week international break comes to an end, with Arsenal set to play nine games in four weeks across three competitions.
The Gunners started the season strong with four wins from five in the Premier League, an opening night win over Napoli in the Champions League, and progressing to the fourth round of the EFL Cup to face Fleetwood Town.
Off the back of a 63-game season, a World Cup summer and William Saliba out injured, Mikel Arteta should be happy with that return, but as injuries start to creep in, it’s now time to build momentum into the season.
Over the break, Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis picked up injuries that will likely keep them out of at least the Leeds United game, with both players starting every league game so far this season as part of Arteta’s favoured front four.
Despite playing few minutes in the opening run, Viktor Gyökeres looks set to take over the striker position for the coming weeks, having picked up form at the right time with three goals in three games for Sweden over the international break. While Mikel Merino should be in line for minutes up top again to rotate with Gyökeres.
The left wing position will be more interesting. Eberechi Eze seems the obvious replacement for Tzolis but hasn’t been convincing when he’s played that role so far for the Gunners. While he’ll likely get first crack at the role, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Noni Madueke given minutes over on that side as a quicker option.
Another solution could be Max Dowman. He’s typically only been trusted in the cup or the final few minutes of league games, but his ability to take defenders on and draw gravity to open up space for others may be a huge weapon as Arteta looks to balance his attack. He still has a lot to learn on the out-of-possession side of the game, but giving him the final 20 to 30 minutes off the left should be on the manager’s mind.
The Gunners face unbeaten Leeds United at the Emirates at 12:30pm on Saturday as they get club football back under way. Leeds have had an impressive start to the season, including beating Newcastle 4-1 and picking up draws against Brighton and Brentford, so will be a solid test as Arsenal look to return with a win.