Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side face a potential season-defining trip to face Chelsea in the Premier League this afternoon, looking to make amends after the last two outings.
The Gunners fell to a 1-0 defeat against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United at St James’ Park last Saturday, before losing 1-0 again to Inter Milan at the San Siro in the Champions League.
Given the recent league defeat, this afternoon is a huge game for their title aspirations, needing vital points if they are to keep up with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
However, the meeting with Enzo Maresca’s side will undoubtedly be a difficult one, with the Blues only tasting defeat twice in the Premier League so far this campaign.
Arteta will have a few huge calls to make ahead of the clash, potentially needing to freshen things up if they are to turn around their recent fortunes on the pitch.
Arteta’s squad dilemma ahead of Chelsea clash
Suspensions and injuries have constantly plagued the Arsenal squad throughout the early stages of the current campaign – resulting in various different changes in key positions.
William Saliba, Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard have all received red cards early on in the season, halting their progress and resulting in temporary fixes in key positions.
In his pre-match press conference, Arteta confirmed that Rice hasn’t trained this week after missing the Champions League clash in midweek – ensuring he could also be absent against his one-time employers.
Full-back Riccardo Calafiori has also missed the last couple of matches after suffering a knee injury in the Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk- with the Italian set to miss out once again this afternoon.
Many must be wishing that the Gunners had a fully strengthened squad, with the aforementioned duo undoubtedly playing a key role in keeping Chelsea danger man Cole Palmer quiet.
The Englishman already has 12 combined goals and assists in the Premier League this season, with most of the Blues’ big chances going through him so far this season.
However, Arteta has the opportunity to recall one player to the starting lineup to allow the Gunners to have their own version of the superstar talent.
The Arsenal ace who can terrorise Caicedo
Midfielder Martin Odegaard had been sidelined for the Gunners since the end of August after suffering an ankle injury on international duty with Norway.
However, the 25-year-old has made progress over the last couple of weeks, even featuring as a late substitute in Milan just a couple of days ago – undoubtedly pushing for a start this afternoon.
The “sensational” Odegaard, as dubbed by The Athletic’s Aaron Catterson-Reid, produced some phenomenal numbers last season, helping him win the club’s Player of the Year award as they narrowly missed out on the title.
Operating in that number ten berth, the former Real Madrid star mirrors his fellow left-footer, Palmer, in being the creative hub for his side, possessing that ability – again, like Palmer – to both score himself and also provide assists for those around him.
He achieved a total of 18 combined goal contributions, whilst creating a total of 102 chances for his teammates – the most of any Arsenal player last season – having the ability to run English record signing Moises Caicedo ragged throughout the encounter.
Games played
35
Goals & assists
18
Pass accuracy
81%
Chances created
102
Dribble success rate
50%
Duels won
125
Recoveries made
158
Possession won in the final third
41
The Ecuadorian likes to progress the play, but Odegaard last season achieved a total of 158 recoveries and won possession in the final third 41 times – demonstrating his relentless nature, which can cause the Blues man endless problems.
The clash at Stamford Bridge is a huge one for the Gunners’ title ambitions, if they lose then it massively derails their hopes of ending their two-decade for for a title.
Given the importance of the clash, Arteta must start Odegaard, with the Norwegian sensation having the ability to be a game-changer for his side throughout the meeting.
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