Question marks as to who starts at CF if Nketiah is unavailable.
Mikel Arteta held an opening training session for the media to attended before our clash with Sevilla this Tuesday night, in his pre match press conference he was asked if there was any early team news and he ruled Gabriel Jesus out of contention after picking up a hamstring injury and also said there would be question marks around Martin Odegaard and his availability for the game on Tuesday and said he was uncertain if our captain would make the squad.
Also missing from the squad is Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe, Partey picking up a muscle injury that will see him missing for a few weeks and Smith Rowe picking up a knee injury just before the clash with West ham and is expected to be out for a few more weeks.
Eddie Nketiah wasn’t mentioned in the press conference but after not coming out for the open training session, questions were asked, and it’s been reported that Nketiah is nursing a knock from the game against Newcastle on the weekend and we won’t know if he’s going to be sit enough to play or in contention. He will need to pass a fitness test before the game, but we could very likely see him on the bench.
In the case that he doesn’t pass the fitness test, that leaves Arsenal and Arteta with some big choices to make. Already missing star striker Gabriel Jesus to injury, Nketiah had stepped up to the task and has been performing well but with both strikers set to be missing, it leaves Arsenal fans wondering who might play up top?
The obvious option for me is Kai Havertz, having played a centre forward for his country and Chelsea when he played there, he has the experience and knowledge of how to play in that position, having played there a lot in the past, it should come as second nature to him but it also would leave a big hole in the middle of the pitch, which yes, Veira could fill but so far this season Vieira has looked a tad shaky and hasn’t been playing that often.
The other option could be Leandro Trossard, although Arteta has been playing him on the left wing, Trossard is another player who is extremely versatile in attack and has played a lot of game at centre forward, with Martinelli primarily playing at LW, it’s made game time harder to come by for Trossard but with his experience in front of goal and how well he’s been performing since joining Arsenal this summer, Areta may look to keep Havertz in the midfield, where he’s played pretty well so far and rely on Trossard to score the goals.
A big decision or Arteta if Nketiah isn’t fit enough to start but with a lot of depth in the squad this season, Arteta does have a few options to choose from.
What’s your thoughts Gooners?
Daisy Mae
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