Arteta must now bench £39m-rated star who's Arsenal's "future captain"
The last seven days could not have gone better for Arsenal fans.
Sunday saw them utterly dominate Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby, extending their lead at the top of the Premier League table.
Then, if that wasn’t enough, the Gunners took on and, in the second half anyway, quite comfortably beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Things do not get any easier this weekend, though, as Arsenal travel to second-placed Chelsea, and if Mikel Arteta wants to ensure his side collects all three points, he should make one ruthless change to the lineup.
Arsenal's record against Chelsea
Sunday’s game will be the 212th competitive meeting between Arsenal and Chelsea, with the first being a Division One game in November 1907, which the Blues hosted and won 2-1.
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However, since then, it’s the Gunners who have generally had the better luck in this fixture, winning 85 games, drawing 60 and losing 66.
Moreover, since taking the job in December 2019, Arteta has had a sensational record against the West Londoners.
Of the 13 competitive games he’s managed against them, the Spaniard has masterminded a victory eight times – including in the 2020 FA Cup Final – settled for a draw three times and lost just twice, the last time being in August 2021.
The last game between the sides was in March of this year at the Emirates, and it would be fair to say it’s not one that has lived long in the memory, as the hosts ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a Mikel Merino header.
In all then, while this Sunday will be a tough test for Arsenal, Arteta and Co shouldn’t be too worried as they have an exceptional record against Chelsea.
With that said, on top of the enforced changes in attack, the manager should ruthlessly drop another of his starters from Wednesday to ensure it’s another win in the books.
The Arsenal star Arteta should drop
While the performance against Bayern on Wednesday was one of Arsenal’s best in a long time, there was one player who struggled somewhat: Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The Hale Ender, who is valued at £39m by Transfermarkt, started just his fifth game of the season, and it was really quite clear that he wasn’t as sharp as some of his teammates.
For example, while he wasn’t the only one at fault, he could have dealt with the pass that led to the visitors’ goal, and as the match went on, Michael Olise gave him more and more trouble.
Equally, as per Sofacore, his woes were evident as he lost the ball nine times from just 25 touches, or once every 2.7 touches.
However, even though he struggled, there can be no doubting his immense ability, potential and attitude, and so, while it’s a long way away, club insider Hand of Arsenal’s claim that he’s a “future captain” does not sound all that far-fetched.
With all that said, for the good of the team and to ensure they have an easier time collecting all three points at the Bridge, Arteta should replace the youngster with Ricardo Calafiori.
The Italian international has been nothing short of sublime this season.
Whether it’s in defence or going forward, the 23-year-old seems able to do it all with ease, and not only that, but he does it with a certain style as well.
Described as a “wild horse” of a full-back by the Telegraph’s Sam Dean and “the most electrifying man in sports entertainment” by journalist James Benge, the former Bologna man pops up all over the pitch and causes nightmares for opposition defenders.
Moreover, on top of the four goal involvements he’s produced this term, the Rome-born monster has some unreal underlying numbers to his name.
npxG: Non-Penalty xG
0.16
Top 2%
Shots Total
1.58
Top 2%
Goals + Assists
0.41
Top 4%
Goal-Creating Actions
0.46
Top 4%
Aerials Won
1.89
Top 5%
Goals
0.15
Top 7%
Shots on Target
0.41
Top 8%
According to FBref, he ranks in the top 2% of full-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for non-penalty expected goals and total shots, the top 4% for goal-creating actions, the top 5% for assists and aerial duels one, and more, all per 90.
Ultimately, with Sunday’s game being hugely crucial for Arsenal, it would make sense for Arteta to bring Calafiori back into the team in place of Lewis-Skelly.
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