Arsenal return to Premier League action this weekend when they travel to West Ham on Sunday
Myles Lewis-Skelly has been exceptional for Arsenal in the past two matches
Mikel Arteta revealed he warn torn between multiple Arsenal starting XIs against Atletico Madrid before eventually settling on the same team that pulverised Fulham last weekend.
This time around against West Ham, he faces a similar dilemma as the Gunners have now won their past two matches without conceding a goal.
Yes, they were at home and a trip to the London Stadium will be a different proposition because the home crowd are looking to roar their team towards Premier League safety but still, ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’.
I do however believe that changes might be in order in east London. In defence, left-back is definitely an area where Arteta might consider shaking it up.
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Piero Hincapie won Arsenal’s April Player of the Month award and is fresh after starting the past two matches on the bench. Riccardo Calafiori has excelled since returning to the starting XI though and there’s an argument he would be the smart pick.
The Italian likes to get forward but West Ham’s biggest threat is their right-winger, Jarrod Bowen. Hincapie has the ability to frustrate Bowen, so he could come in for this one.
In midfield, it would feel incredibly harsh to drop Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has been excellent in the past two games also.
I think he should stay in the team while Martin Odegaard could come back into start as the No.10 ahead of MLS and Declan Rice.
That could force Eberechi Eze back out to the left flank in place of Leandro Trossard, though Gabriel Martinelli is also pushing to start.
Viktor Gyokeres leads the line with Bukayo Saka, who only played around an hour on Tuesday, starts on the right.
It’s definitely likely that Arteta could well name an unchanged starting XI for the third successive match.
The team has rhythm at the moment and is back in the groove so there’s a risk changes could disrupt the momentum that has built over the past week or so.
Jurrien Timber is on the comeback trail but nobody knows yet when he’ll be ready to return. Even if he is able to play, it would feel risky to throw him straight into the mix in a game of his magnitude given White has rebuilt confidence.
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