5 Arsenal players with point to prove to Mikel Arteta this week after Sunderland win
Mikel Arteta has a superb array of talent at his disposal(Image: Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta could have some big decisions to make on five Arsenal players this week. The Premier League champions continued their perfect start to the season, with a 2-0 win against Sunderland, but many members of the squad remain with a point to prove in the opening weeks of the campaign.
Their latest triumph came off the back of Bruno Guimaraes' stunning first goal for the club, while Bukayo Saka netted his third goal of the season through a stoppage-time penalty. Given the strength of Arteta's squad, there are several players who've received minimal playing time.
However, it's a trip to Ipswich Town in the third round of the Carabao Cup next for Arsenal and there'll be a plethora of stars aiming to lay down a marker. Here are the five players football.london have picked out:
Ben White failed to impress against Sunderland(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Ben White endured a difficult half on Saturday, with Sunderland's Nilson Angulo getting the better of him on several occasions. The 28-year-old was handed a meagre 4/10 score by football.london in our player ratings as he was forced off with a potential groin issue at break, with Jurrien Timber coming on. The England defender has been a regular for Arteta this season due to the Dutchman's absence due to injury. However, the return of Timber could spell the end of White's team in the run, especially if he faces a repeat of the fitness issues that plagued him last season.
Myles Lewis-Skelly was taken off at half-time(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
A summer of uncertainty and transfer rumours haven't seemed to change Arteta's mind on Myles Lewis-Skelly. The 19-year-old has started all four of Arsenal's league games this season, but was hooked off at half-time against Sunderland. football.london handed him a 4/10 score, labelling his first-half performance 'frustrating'. Lewis-Skelly's place in the starting 11 could be threatened, given his replacement, Bruno Guimaraes, came on to score a stunning debut goal for the Gunners.
Eberechi Eze hasn't started a league game this season(Image: Getty Images)
Many may have thought the summer sales of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli would have given Eberechi Eze a route to a starring role in Arteta's team. However, that hasn't been the case for the England star, who managed just a nine-minute cameo against Sunderland.
The 28-year-old has yet to start a Premier League game this season, with the Gunners boss preferring Christos Tzolis on the left flank, while captain Martin Odegaard has returned to form in the coveted No. 10 position.
Eze is one of several players who could be given a start against Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday – an opportunity he must take with both hands in order to force his way back into Arteta's first-choice XI.
Viktor Gyokeres was an unused substitute at the Stadium of Light(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
Another game and another 90 minutes spent on the bench for Viktor Gyokeres. His no-show at the Stadium of Light marked the third game this season that he was an unused substitute. With Kai Havertz taking ownership of the No. 9 role, it has left the Swede in dire straits when it comes to even earning action on the pitch.
Alongside Eze, Gyokeres could be handed a chance to start against Gary O'Neil's at Portman Road. But whether an impressive showing against the newly-promoted side will be enough to displace Havertz is another story.
Noni Madueke has played one minute in the Premier League since the opening day of the season(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
England manager Thomas Tuchel preferred Noni Madueke at times over Bukayo Saka during the World Cup earlier this summer, but how the tide has turned at club level. Saka struggled with a serious hamstring injury last season, but his return to fitness – and form – has seen Madueke's minutes dwindle in the opening weeks of the campaign.
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Saka has scored three goals in four games, while the ex-Chelsea star has managed just one minute of action in Arsenal's last three fixtures. While opportunities to impress will surely come in the upcoming weeks, starting with Ipswich Town, Madueke must now showcase the same level of performance that saw him usurp his team-mate for the Three Lions.
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