The dynamic of the Arsenal midfield is such that the trio of Granit Xhaka, Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey have formed a formidable group at the core of the Gunners’ success this season. Should any one of these not be available the level immediately drops.
Arsenal have put into place contingencies across the side in terms of depth, but the midfield remains an area of thinness in the group. Fabio Vieira arrived in the summer to offer Odegaard serious competition and the Portuguese international scored in the absence of the Norwegian in the 3-0 win at Brentford to show his worth to the group.
Behind both Xhaka and Partey however, there are questions. Albert Sambi Lokonga and Mohamed Elneny, the latter of whom has missed most of the season with injury and is expected back this January, simply lack that same level of elite quality the starting pair possess.
