Mikel Arteta urged to unleash Max Dowman vs Brighton but key Arsenal problem persists
Thousands of Arsenal supporters believe Max Dowman should start for Arsenal against Brighton (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal supporters believe Max Dowman should start against Brighton & Hove Albion following his sensational performance against Ipswich Town, a football.london poll has found.
Dowman scored twice for the Premier League champions in the Carabao Cup third round fixture, with the first a superb solo goal after seven minutes before he slotted into the bottom corner at the start of the second half to cap a wonderful individual display.
It was the 16-year-old's first performance of the season for the first team, although the teenager has been named in matchday squads for the Premier League games against Coventry and Chelsea.
Now, according to a football.london poll, thousands of Gunners fans believe he should start against Brighton on Saturday, or at least make the matchday squad. In the Arsenal - football.london WhatsApp channel, we asked on Wednesday: 'Should Max Dowman start against Brighton on Saturday after his sensational performance against Ipswich last night?'
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A huge 5,700 people answered yes, while 3,600 people answered he should be included in the matchday squad. Only 819 people voted no.
Dowman's issue is he has so many established stars in front of him in the pecking order. Mikel Arteta has the likes of Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze to choose from for the attacking midfielder position, while Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke are showing decent form on the right wing.
Arteta, though, does not want to rush the teenager but has described him as "incredible". “It’s not easy (to contain the hype), I understand, but what we have to do is look after him. He’s 16 years old. You don’t see that in this league,” Arteta said.
“In other leagues in Europe, that’s a totally different context, but in this league, with the demands that the league [has], the players and everything put on you, we really need to make sure every time we throw him in, he’s in the right context with the right preparation.
“The probability is probably extremely low because you don’t see the players with the capacity to handle just the physicality of the game… but he’s doing it and he’s doing it really well every time there’s a chance.
“It’s a lot of things that you need to grow, but at 16 to already do what he does, it’s just incredible.”
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