Mikel Arteta - Arsenal
Mikel Arteta - Arsenal
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A teamsheet is a set of answers until two of them disappear. The shape can stay the same on paper, but the jobs inside it change, and a manager who had a settled front line on Friday can be rebuilding it by Monday. That is the quiet work of the week after an international break.
The choice is rarely between a like-for-like replacement and nothing. It is between a runner, a link player and a winger who wants the ball at his feet, and each one asks something different of the players around him. Get the mix wrong and the side that looked fluid starts looking stuck.
Saturday does not wait for the perfect fit. The best available attack has to be picked from what is actually in the building, with as little disruption as possible to the parts that have already been working.
Arsenal have that decision in front of them for the lunchtime meeting with Leeds. Kai Havertz picked up a hamstring injury on Germany duty and Christos Tzolis suffered the same problem with Greece, with Tzolis looking set to miss around three weeks. Havertz’s issue is not believed to be serious, though no exact timeframe has been given.
Viktor Gyokeres is the likeliest beneficiary. He went into the break low on confidence after a flat start at club level, then scored three goals in as many games for Sweden and looked closer to the striker Arsenal signed. Mikel Arteta also has Mikel Merino as a more combining option through the middle, but it would be a surprise if Gyokeres did not lead the line. He scored three times against Leeds last season.
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On the left, Eberechi Eze has shared the minutes with Tzolis and is the obvious candidate for a run of games. Arteta has praised the work Eze has added off the ball, tracking back and helping the full-back. Arsenal’s best attacking spells this season have come when the front line has interchanged, and Gyokeres will not offer that in the way Havertz does. Eze’s willingness to drift inside is one way to keep him and Martin Odegaard in the same side.
Noni Madueke is the alternative. He played on the left early last season, has barely had a minute there since, and will not displace Bukayo Saka on the right. His pace would give Arsenal more threat in behind and make it harder for a pressing side to pin them in. He is predominantly left-footed, a direct runner who gets to the byline and crosses, which matters for a striker who does not create much from nothing. Eze’s instinct is to cut inside.
Moving Saka across, or finding a place for Max Dowman, feels unlikely for now. Arteta will want to limit the disruption, and the right wing has been a strength. The task is making sure the rest of the attack does not let it down.