Mikel Arteta 'tempted' to start four-pronged Arsenal forward line against Wolves
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta instructs Arsenal's Martin Odegaard. The Arsenal boss could try accommodate the Norwegian, Gabriel Martinelli, and English attackers Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka in his side. Picture: PA
Mikel Arteta admits he is tempted to field a four-pronged forward line formed of his fine young attacking assets.
The Arsenal boss has plenty to ponder in terms of team selection with Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka both among the goals in the weekend win over Brentford.
With Arteta looking to mastermind a return to Champions League football, having such a precocious quartet at his disposal could prove vital.
Alongside his England internationals, he can also call upon Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli, who is back from a ban in time to face Wolves tonight.
Fitting the four players into his system may prove difficult and – on the one occasion Arteta has done so in the Premier League this season – Arsenal were held to a goalless home draw by Burnley. But he admits it remains a tantalising prospect as the Gunners look to keep their top-four push on track.
“They have played together,” he said when asked if he could play Smith Rowe, Saka, Odegaard, and Martinelli in the same line-up.
“Emile played as a left attacking midfielder, which is another position he can play. I am tempted, yes. Because they want to play and when you see players training and playing the way they do, you want to throw them all on the pitch. Unfortunately 11 is the limit.”
One change that could be made to accommodate all four players would be dropping Alexandre Lacazette. The striker has been captaining Arsenal since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure and also started the stalemate with Burnley. But with Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah the only recognised out and out strikers in his ranks, Arteta has backed the France international to improve on a return of three goals in 18 Premier League games this season.
“He has a really important role in the team,” said Arteta. “Off the field and on it. He has been unlucky because he has had the chances to score as well, some goals in the last few weeks. He needs to continue to do that, to generate those chances for his team-mates, to be in front of goal in the positions we ask him to be in. The goals will come.
“We have to live with those expectations. He knows as a striker what is demanded of him, and that is to be involved in goals and the chance creation of the team.”
There was confusion on Saturday when Lacazette was replaced by Nketiah, who then tried to pass the captain’s armband on to Granit Xhaka, who then pointed him in the direction of Kieran Tierney. While some supporters felt that Xhaka had turned down the armband, Arteta explained the Switzerland skipper made the right call given the club’s captaincy hierarchy.
“It is defined and Granit said to Eddie that he (Tierney) is next in line and that is why he gave it to Kieran. I think Kieran was really proud of it.
“Rob (Holding) is there as well, as the second one when he is playing. It is not easy. I understand it’s confusing. But you have to understand we have a lot of issues and more captaincy issues… I guarantee that is not what we need.”
Meanwhile Wolves boss Bruno Lage never had any doubts “fighter” Raul Jimenez would not have the character needed to return to top form after suffering a life-threatening injury when fracturing his skull.
Jimenez returns to the Emirates Stadium for the first time since the horrific incident, which happened during an aerial challenge with former Arsenal defender David Luiz in November 2020. The Mexico forward spent around eight months in recovery and he revealed doctors had told him it was a “miracle” he could play again.
Lage arrived at Molineux following Nuno Espirito Santo’s departure last June, by which time Jimenez was closing in on a long-awaited return to action.
The Portuguese coach has been seriously impressed by both the attitude and application of the 30-year-old. “He is the guy who fights for every ball. He is determined in the way he plays, so you can imagine the hard work he gives here (in training), it is amazing,” said Lage. “He is impressive, the way he runs in every session. These type of players go with everything, that is why he is an amazing player."
Mikel Arteta admits seeing Wolves striker Raul Jimenez fracture his skull was one of his scariest moments in football.
"Straight away you see the reaction, the anxiety that suddenly is in the team doctors and everybody involved trying to assess what was happening, it was frightening.
"Thanks to the medical team, they probably saved him at that moment from something that could have been much worse and for the recovery that he's done.
"It's great that after that he's come back so quickly, performing and scoring goals like he's doing. Regarding that topic (medics), yes we can always get better, and that should be the aim.
"Thank god it ended the right way, but it looked really, really bad."
Wolves forward Pedro Neto made a late substitute appearance in Sunday’s win over Leicester following 10 months out with a knee injury, so should be in the squad again at Arsenal.
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