Arsenal's final game of a gruelling October is almost upon us as they welcome Nottingham Forest to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Juggling the Premier League and the Europa League this month was always going to be a tough ask for Gunners manager Mikel Arteta and he's had to make full use of his first-team squad across the eight games so far as the loss of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Emile Smith Rowe and Mohamed Elneny has certainly been evident.
Still, six victories - including fantastic home wins over both Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool - is a very impressive return for Arsenal and they remain on course to seal top spot in their Europa League group despite Thursday evening's setback at the hands of PSV Eindhoven.
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However, as that loss came hot on the heels of the north London outfit dropping points - for only the second time in the Premier League this season - in a 1-1 draw against Southampton, there is a section of the fanbase that is growing concerned about recent performances.
This is something that Arteta has noticed and he has set a challenge for his side ahead of Forest's visit: "There have been periods recently when we have been excellent and others when we have suffered," the Spaniard said after the PSV loss. "We’ve not had the consistency for 95 minutes that we want.
"We didn’t have the threat and aggression we’ve been playing at and that is worrying. The moment something went wrong we just went down and didn’t know how to react. It’s my responsibility to get the best from the players. They have been exceptionally good and playing at a level that probably no one expected. Now it’s down to me to get the best out of them."
The good news for the Gunners is they are back on home turf following four away games in their last five. It's at the Emirates where they've been perfect so far this season and there might be pressure on Arteta to pick the right line-up to ensure his side return to winning ways.
Thankfully for the Spaniard, football.london's Arsenal writers Tom Canton, Tashan Deniran-Alleyne and Bailey Keogh, are on hand to offer their assistance. Below, they take a look at who they think should be starting for the hosts in Sunday afternoon's clash against Nottingham Forest.
Tom Canton - Arsenal Writer
Arsenal have to respond and respond well. A dominant display with plenty of goals is exactly how to get over a run of below par performances.
Defensively the Gunners have not had too many concerns regarding their Premier League starters, the issue has certainly been in the final third instead. Facing Nottingham Forest gives a great opportunity for Gabriel Jesus to end his goalscoring drought.
The big call comes at left-back and after three successive Premier League starts there it is time for Takehiro Tomiyasu to be replaced. Whilst Oleksandr Zinchenko remains mysteriously absent, Kieran Tierney must reclaim that spot and offer the Gunners plenty more dominance down the left-flank to support Gabriel Martinelli,
Ben White continues to improve offensively too and combining with Bukayo Saka is sure to give Neco Williams, should he start against at left-back, all sorts of problems. A scoring prediction can never stray too far from Granit Xhaka though who has been the star of the season so far.
Canton's Arsenal XI vs Nottingham Forest: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard; Saka, Martinelli, Jesus
Tashan Deniran-Alleyne - Arsenal Writer
Once again Arsenal's fringe players failed to impress three days before a Premier League fixture which makes this team selection pretty straightforward in my opinion. Of course, the big call is who gets the nod at left-back and I would opt for Kieran Tierney over Takehiro Tomiyasu.
But it's in attack where the Gunners need to start firing again as the common theme in recent weeks is they've not made the most of their chances when on top and that's allowed the opposition to get back into the game. Against Leeds United, they were fortunate, but not so much against Southampton and PSV.
With that said, I don't see Mikel Arteta doing anything drastic by changing his system to accommodate Eddie Nketiah as an extra forward. Therefore, the onus will be on Gabriel Jesus to be clinical with any chances that fall his way as he looks to end his drought in front of goal.
Deniran-Alleyne's Arsenal XI vs Nottingham Forest: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Odegaard, Xhaka; Saka, G. Jesus, Martinelli
Bailey Keogh - Arsenal Writer
Kieran Tierney needs to be the only defensive change from last Sunday's match at St Mary’s. Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes and Takehiro Tomiyasu should keep their place in the team, meanwhile, William Saliba is a yellow card away from suspension, and with Chelsea to play next he should not be risked.
Thomas Partey unsurprisingly anchors the midfield, and he plays alongside Granit Xhaka, who is currently having his best season in an Arsenal shirt. Martin Odegaard takes the final midfield spot as the captain must start.
Despite uncertainties surrounding Gabriel Jesus’ form, I’d still keep him in the starting line-up as he is a crucial presence up top. Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka on either side of the Brazilian maintain their spot to keep the threat of arguably the most dangerous front-three in the league.
Keogh's Arsenal XI vs Nottingham Forest: Ramsdale; White, Tomiyasu, Gabriel, Tierney; Odegaard, Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Martinelli; Jesus
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