Mikel Arteta may finally unleash his strongest midfield when Arsenal plays tomorrow. So what is Arsenal’s strongest midfield set-up?
Last season, the midfield trio of Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, and Granit Xhaka stood out as one of the best in the Premier League. Its brilliance nearly won Arteta the league. Unfortunately, with Xhaka’s departure, a new midfield trio had to be discovered. M
ikel Arteta hinted at Odegaard, Xhaka, and Partey as his ideal midfield trio in his line-up for the community shield, but strangely, he did not stick with this formation. In the first three league games of the season, he ignored it and went with an Odegaard-Rice-Havertz formation, with Partey deployed at right back.
Havertz, along with Odegaard and Rice, has faced criticism throughout the season, and many believe the three deployed together cannot be Arsenal’s strongest midfield.
Arteta has mostly employed it, though he’s at times used an Odegaard-Rice-Jorginho midfield, which also hasn’t been popular.
A Partey-Rice-Odegaard midfield set-up has long been regarded as Arsenal’s strongest, with all the swagger needed to mount a successful title charge.
Thomas Partey has returned to fitness after missing nearly three months due to a thigh injury.
His comeback gives Arteta the opportunity to re-deploy a midfield that many believe may be Arsenal’s strongest since the Partey-Xhaka-Odegaard formation.
We’ll have to wait and see if that’s the midfield that will face Nottingham Forest, but I’m sure the Arsenal manager would be tempted to use it. Wouldn’t you?
Daniel O
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Partey is a left back
Sorry, I meant right back
I mean right back on the treatment table…..
And left back when Arsenal are playing away.
Coming from a long injury straight into the lineup? I’m not sure that’s wise. I guess opinions like this is why most of us fans can’t make good managers. I look at Manchester City for instance : they got KDB back but he’s not starting matches. They’ve been easing him in by giving him a few minutes as a sub – that’s good management. I’d rather be cautious with him over the next couple of weeks than risk a setback.
I concur
Yea, it’s wise to gradually introduce Pathey just like ESR and he can’t be 90% match fit. But I hope DRice has recovered from his knock, if not Arteta might be tempted to do the unthinkable. But it isn’t the best no matter what to start Pathey from beginning of the game.
Partey is a RB to ensure Havertz inclusion
I feel we need Party against Liverpool more than this game, so it will be good to give him 20 mins match time against Forest.
But we need to win this match as it’s the easier 3 point to get than Liverpool.
I don’t agree with some fans suggesting we experiment just because it’s Forest. No easy win in epl again.
Arteta should choose the strongest team available to him for a win.
I agree that he will not be starter. I would rather see him eased back and ready for the rest of the season than playing against Forsest. We should have enough without him. It puts pressure on Havertz who had been improving before his stint at centre forward.
Surely the world class player should be wrapped in cotton wool from now onwards.
Arteta thinks harvertz is the real deal. Unfortunately for him, he will only bring the club down.
Starts clearly indicate that Havertz was an unproven player; only having best moments for 2 seasons at Leverkuson and nothing more to show. How could Arsenal scouts have been so deceived as to sign him for such a huge sum on an enormous paycheck?
Arteta keeps dreaming that a miracle will happen with Havertz in the line-up and is not prepared to play Partey alongside Rice to give us a chance to stay at the top.
Tottenham hav e strengthened. Top 4 is a doubt if Arteta sticks with Havertz. Guardiola signed Grealish for a heavier sum but benched him for long. Kalvin Philips has left for lack of game time.
Why can’t Arteta learn from his colleagues? Please Arteta, we are struggling because of Havertz. Bench him for Smith Rowe or Partey