Mikel Arteta could make five bold tactical shifts to save Arsenal from disastrous autumn collapse
The first international break of the season is almost over, and Arsenal may need to enter survival mode to keep their ambitions alive over the next month.
Mikel Arteta was given a big reality check by Brighton & Hove Albion in their last fixture. His side suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat, and there hasn’t been much good news since.
Kai Havertz suffered an injury while on international duty with Germany, while summer signing Christos Tzolis also hurt himself during Greece’s latest fixture.
Those, combined with a few other issues within the squad, could force Arteta to tweak some of his tactics to survive until the next international break in November.
Five tactical changes Mikel Arteta could make at Arsenal to survive autumn
Arsenal play nine games in 28 days, starting with their home clash against Leeds United in the Premier League next Saturday.
That’s roughly one fixture every three days until the start of the November international break, which makes it a gruelling period for the champions.
To make sure all the players get through this period unscathed while picking up maximum points, Mikel Arteta will need to be flexible with his team selection. Here are five changes we think he could make over the course of the next nine fixtures…
The return of Mikel Merino as a striker
Havertz’s injury means Viktor Gyokeres will start more games as a striker for Arsenal.
The former Sporting CP man scored over 20 goals last season, but he has never really looked the ideal fit in Arteta’s system and has thus fallen behind the German in the pecking order.
Gyokeres has been flying for Sweden, but if his troubles at Arsenal continue, Arteta could turn to Mikel Merino to play as a striker again in a few of the next nine fixtures.
The Spaniard has directly contributed to 16 goals in 23 starts for the Gunners while playing up front, which is a far better return compared to Gyokeres’ record per game.
A position change for Noni Madueke
Arsenal’s only natural left-winger, Tzolis, has suffered an injury and could be out of action for a few weeks.
Eberechi Eze is the obvious replacement in that role, even though he is naturally a number 10, but the Gunners will lose out on a lot of pace if the Englishman starts on the left flank.
The solution? Noni Madueke could become Arsenal’s left-winger in games where the Gunners need speed down the flanks to attack the opposition.
The former Chelsea man has played there before, and Arteta even mentioned his versatility while explaining the reasons why he signed him last year. The next few weeks could give Madueke the chance to prove his manager right.
Max Dowman to feature in two different positions
Max Dowman is a superstar in the making, and he has already shown his ability on the biggest stage despite just being 16 years old.
If Madueke does move to the left wing, Dowman will automatically become Bukayo Saka’s backup on the right flank, which would then mean he will get more minutes there.
To add to that, Martin Odegaard needs some help in the number 10 position as well. He picked up a knock on international duty, and although he has recovered well, it would be silly to make him play every game over the next month.
Dowman, who is a number 10 by trade, could get some minutes in that role as well. He scored a brilliant brace the last time he started in that position.
Taking the handbrakes off Bruno Guimaraes
Bruno Guimaraes has either played as a defensive midfielder or as a number eight since joining Arsenal, and he has shown his brilliance in both positions.
However, with Arsenal needing to be a lot more flexible to keep everyone fresh in the coming period, we won’t be surprised at all if Guimaraes is given more licence going forward.
The Brazilian is a brilliant passer, has great vision, and as his stunning strike against Sunderland showed, he has a fantastic eye for goal as well.
Guimaraes as a number 10 in some of the next nine games could be a masterstroke by Arteta.
Shielding Gabriel Magalhaes
Arsenal have fared pretty well without William Saliba so far this season, but the last thing they need is an injury to Gabriel Magalhaes.
The Brazilian has had his share of fitness issues over the last 18 months, so making him play each of Arsenal’s next nine games would be a major gamble.
Arteta doesn’t have a ready-made replacement for him, but Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie and young Marli Salmon can all play there. Even Ezri Konsa and Cristhian Mosquera could slot in on the left side of central defence.
Gabriel needs to be protected from any risk of injury, so a few of the above names must play their part to keep the big Brazilian fresh.