By 1970s Gooner and Danong
Arsenal must win the UEFA Champions League to salvage their 2024-25 season. Their Premier League campaign has been disappointing and after their latest 2-2 draw, Liverpool are now just one result away from securing the title.
Now it's Paris Saint-Germain in a crucial two-legged battle in the semi-finals. Arsenal won 2-0 against PSG earlier in the competition, but this semi-final will be a much bigger test.
The first leg will be at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal want to take control early, but Mikel Arteta has a selection headache.Thomas Partey is out and Mikel Merino as well as Ben White are now doubtful for the match.
"They couldn’t be involved—if not, they would have been. Unfortunately, after the game [against Ipswich] we had some issues and they are not fit," Arteta said.
White’s absence may not be a big problem. Jurrien Timber has been excellent at right-back. But losing Partey and Merino will be a major blow.
Partey has been key for Arsenal this season. He controls the midfield, wins back possession and allows Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard to focus on attacking.
Merino has been vital in attack. Although he is a midfielder, injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus forced him into a striker role. He has stepped up with six goals and four assists in recent months.
Arteta must now find solutions and ideally, he would replace each missing player directly, but midfield adjustments seem unavoidable.
Jorginho would have covered for Partey, but he is unlikely to feature due to chest pains. The obvious replacement will be Rice moving into central midfield. And this creates the need for a new left sided midfielder which ideally would have been Merino with Trossard coming in at the front.
But if Merino proves unavailable who can replace him in midfield? There are two options.
Zinchenko into midfield?
Now it's Paris Saint-Germain in a crucial two-legged battle in the semi-finals. Arsenal won 2-0 against PSG earlier in the competition, but this semi-final will be a much bigger test.
The first leg will be at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal want to take control early, but Mikel Arteta has a selection headache.Thomas Partey is out and Mikel Merino as well as Ben White are now doubtful for the match.
"They couldn’t be involved—if not, they would have been. Unfortunately, after the game [against Ipswich] we had some issues and they are not fit," Arteta said.
White’s absence may not be a big problem. Jurrien Timber has been excellent at right-back. But losing Partey and Merino will be a major blow.
Partey has been key for Arsenal this season. He controls the midfield, wins back possession and allows Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard to focus on attacking.
Merino has been vital in attack. Although he is a midfielder, injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus forced him into a striker role. He has stepped up with six goals and four assists in recent months.
Arteta must now find solutions and ideally, he would replace each missing player directly, but midfield adjustments seem unavoidable.
Jorginho would have covered for Partey, but he is unlikely to feature due to chest pains. The obvious replacement will be Rice moving into central midfield. And this creates the need for a new left sided midfielder which ideally would have been Merino with Trossard coming in at the front.
But if Merino proves unavailable who can replace him in midfield? There are two options.
Zinchenko into midfield?
Zinchenko could take the left sided midfield role, with Rice at the base of midfield and Ødegaard at the right.
Zinchenko’s passing and control could help Arsenal build attacks. He is however less reliable in his defensive duties.
Raya
Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, MLS
Ødegaard , Rice, Zinchenko
Saka, Trossard, Martinelli
Tierney in at left back?
Alternatively Myles Lewis-Skelly could be moved into left midfield with Kieran Tierney coming in at left back. This sounds interesting as MLS is a better defensive minded player than Zinchenko but can also contribute in building up attacks and combining with Martinelli.
Zinchenko’s passing and control could help Arsenal build attacks. He is however less reliable in his defensive duties.
Raya
Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, MLS
Ødegaard , Rice, Zinchenko
Saka, Trossard, Martinelli
Tierney in at left back?
Alternatively Myles Lewis-Skelly could be moved into left midfield with Kieran Tierney coming in at left back. This sounds interesting as MLS is a better defensive minded player than Zinchenko but can also contribute in building up attacks and combining with Martinelli.
Tierney will be a reliable left back and a combination of Tierney and MLS would be more effective in keeping the dangerous Dembele as quiet as possible.
Raya
Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Tierney
Ødegaard , Rice, MLS
Saka, Trossard, Martinelli
With this line up Arsenal still have enough quality to compete with PSG. If they can get a result at home, Partey and possibly Merino could return for the second leg and help finish the job in Paris propelling us into the final of the champions league.
Raya
Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Tierney
Ødegaard , Rice, MLS
Saka, Trossard, Martinelli
With this line up Arsenal still have enough quality to compete with PSG. If they can get a result at home, Partey and possibly Merino could return for the second leg and help finish the job in Paris propelling us into the final of the champions league.
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