Mikel Arteta has to make brave squad decision for Arsenal vs Aston Villa: Who will suffer?
Arsenal travel to the West Midlands on Monday evening to take on Unai Emery's Aston Villa in what is likely to be a fiery encounter.
Ezri Konsa could make his Gunners debut at his former stomping ground, which would certainly turn the temperature up inside Villa Park. Combine this with the natural rivalry between the two clubs due to Emery's history at Arsenal, and it could be a box office occasion under the lights.
Mikel Arteta's men began the defence of their title with a comprehensive victory over Coventry City last Friday. Goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard saw the North Londoners make a statement in the Premier League's curtain-raiser.
Meanwhile, things couldn't have gone more differently for the Villans in their opening league match. Emery's outfit were demolished by Brighton at the Amex, in a result which has raised concerns over the state of the Spaniard's squad following a succession of high-profile departures this summer.
While fans urge Arsenal to sign more players before Tuesday's transfer deadline, there must be an acknowledgement that Arteta's squad is already operating at capacity. The likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson have all been left out of the Gunners' 20-man rosters for the opening two matches of the season.
There also hasn't been room for young Marli Salmon, who made a great impression during pre-season.
When Arsenal head to Birmingham, more difficult conversations will need to be had. The aforementioned players are all likely to leave before the end of the window (barring Salmon), so exiling them from the matchday squad isn't a particularly big deal.
However, the same won't be said when Arteta announces the travelling party for the Midlands to his players on Sunday evening. From the 20 players that were involved against Coventry City, at least two are expected to drop out, with Arteta confirming both Konsa and Bruno Guimaraes, who missed the last match through injury, are in contention.
"Yes he's [Konsa] available. He's trained really well, and he will be available for selection," the tactician told the media on Thursday.
"We just managed the last few days with him [Guimaraes]. He's out on the pitch. He's been doing training sessions. But we need to manage his load to get to Monday in the best possible condition to be able to get selected.
The obvious player to miss out who featured in the squad against Coventry is Ethan Nwaneri. The youngster wasn't involved in the Community Shield and is still expected to exit N5 before the window is up, either on loan or permanently.
The next potential absentee is a lot more controversial. Max Dowman may be vulnerable, with Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka now fully fit and firing. While fans want to see more of the 16-year-old, the reality is that there may not be space for him in matchday squads when everyone is fit.
Arteta could go rogue, however. Viktor Gyokeres didn't get on the pitch against Coventry, and there is growing speculation around his future amid links to Julian Alvarez. If he doesn't make the squad on Monday, that will surely be a sign that a surprise departure could unfold on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Arteta may feel he doesn't need every single midfield option at his disposal for the trip to Villa Park. This would probably leave one of Mikel Merino or Martin Zubimendi vulnerable, although purely because of seniority, Dowman remains the most likely.
With Jurrien Timber and William Saliba still to return from their respective injury issues, and with a new signing still potentially on its way, it's easy to see how squad size could become a problem moving forward. That said, with Arsenal's injury record, there's also a world where the Gunners somehow end up becoming very stretched at some point, and Theo Julienne starts making the bench every week.
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