Even though they aren’t at the top of the table right now, Arsenal should be very sure that they will finally win the title in May after 20 years of trying.
The team led by Mikel Arteta has already played Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, and Manchester City away from home. They will have a more favourable slate of league games coming up over the next month or so, so they should still be close to the top by Christmas.
But the next game is a Champions League match at home against Paris Saint-Germain. Because of how full the schedule is, Arteta should rest one of his stars and give Ethan Nwaneri his first start in Europe.
Why Nwaneri should begin
That being said, Nwaneri’s unbelievable record of 27 goals and 10 assists in 52 youth team games should be enough to give him a chance tonight. But his recent play for the first team makes his case hard to ignore.
The talented 17-year-old has played three times for Arsenal so far this season. His start in the League Cup, where he scored two goals, put him in the spotlight, but his two substitute games in the league have also been very telling.
Some examples: A few weeks ago, the Gunners were ahead 1-0 in the North London Derby, and time was running out. Arteta chose the Hale Ender over another defender to come on for the last ten minutes or so.
Some kids would be scared of such a tough game, but the star from Enfield didn’t seem at all bothered. He played his game and looked dangerous from the very first touch.
The same thing happened on Saturday as well. When the score was tied in the 85th minute, the manager didn’t bring on the much more experienced Gabriel Jesus. Instead, he brought on the talented midfielder again. He couldn’t score, but he came very close, and he gave more in his short cameo than some players do in whole games.
In general, asking a young player to start a game against Paris Saint-Germain is a lot. But, as the saying goes, “if you’re good enough, you’re old enough,” and Nwaneri is definitely good enough.
Why Thomas Partey needs to take a break
Okay, so Thomas Partey has to leave the team so that Nwaneri can start tonight.
In this way, Declan Rice can start at centre back, and Jorginho or Leandro Trossard could fill in as the left back, based on how aggressive the manager wants to play.
We’re taking the former Atlético Madrid star out of the starting group, but it’s not because of how poorly he’s played. He has had some bad games this season, but his games against City, Tottenham, and Villa have shown fans how good he can be.
In fact, even though he got a 6/10 for his game performance against Leicester City.La Liga expert Gerry Armstrong called London’s Kaya Kaynak a “sensational” midfielder. He played well in the first half. By the time he was taken off in the 85th minute, he had made four tackles, taken 107 touches, completed 87 of 96 passes, and completed all of his long balls.
In the second half, though, he started to get tired, which is reasonable since he had started every game this season except the one against Bolton. Considering how often he gets hurt, that was a lot of football in a short amount of time.
The Ghanaian talent has missed 80 games for Arsenal and his country because of ten different injuries. Arteta can’t afford to lose him for a long time this season because he seems to be so important to the team.
Also, even though it’s a big game, Partey should be able to rest tonight. Rice, Jorginho, Trossard, and the very exciting Nwaneri should be enough in the middle to win at home, especially if Arteta makes the rest of the team fully healthy.