Arsenal come away from a victory at Elland Road looking like a side where the Europa League is truly starting to impact the performances in the Premier League. Despite managing to win all their Europa League games so far and the subsequent league match, the level of performance has evidently dipped.
Arsenal now come up against a PSV side who have scored 17 goals in their last four games and are powered by the coveted Cody Gakpo and Xavi Simons. With an away trip to Southampton to follow, Mikel Arteta will need to balance his squad.
football.london’s writers debate how much rotation the Spaniard should be considering for the game in the Eredivisie. From Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli to Thomas Partey and William Saliba, Kaya Kaynak, Tom Canton, and Bailey Keogh discuss the options.
READ MORE: Aaron Ramsdale says Mikel Arteta prepared Arsenal to claim battling win over Leeds United
Kaya Kaynak
For me, the Arsenal players looked absolutely knackered as they soldiered through to their fortunate 1-0 win over Leeds on Sunday. While the electricity surged around them, the likes of Ben White, William Saliba, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus, Thomas Partey, Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and even Granit Xhaka looked as though they were playing on low power mode at points. The boys need a rest.
Ahead of a relatively stable week in terms of travelling, with an away trip to Southampton being a mere two-hour drive by coach, I feel as though Thursday's match at the Emirates is the chance to give it to them.
There are obvious incentives to beating Ruud Van Nistelrooy's side, such as moving closer to topping the group and gaining automatic progression to the round of 16. But as the Arsenal squad begins to get stretched to the limit, now feels like it isn't the time to risk any big guns.
I'd play both Reiss Nelson and Marquinhos on the wings, Eddie Nketiah up top, Albert Sambi Lokonga in midfield, give Cedric his first minutes of the season, and I'd even consider throwing someone like Matt Smith or Catalin Cirijan into midfield!
Yes, PSV are probably the toughest opponents Arsenal have in the group, but they still have to be confident of getting a win with this second-string side. With a four-point gap to protect at the top of the Premier League, those games take priority for me right now.
Tom Canton
PSV are a very good team, much better than I have seen people giving them credit for. There is part of me that is tempted to make very few changes at all.
Gabriel Jesus, for me, should be starting this game and give the Gunners some strong force up top, and Gabriel Martinelli, who started the first two Europa League games, should also come in. If one of the front three should be rested, then Bukayo Saka strikes me as the obvious choice, and I would move Eddie Nketiah in his place.
The midfield should see only Fabio Vieira come in for Martin Odegaard. Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey should both play to bring a competitive edge to the midfield.
Defensively, it should also be strong with Matt Turner coming in for his usual European exploits. Overall I would make a maximum of around four changes to the team, a maximum of five; get the win and move confidently onwards.
Bailey Keogh
Rotation compared to previous Europa League games should be minimal for the PSV clash. Not only are the Dutch side a high-quality level team, but Arsenal have a great chance to secure the top spot.
For this reason, Rob Holding should be the only defensive change from the match against Leeds, with Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Takehiro Tomiyasu keeping their place in the team. William Saliba started the previous European fixture, so he and Gabriel should continue to take it in turns.
Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard can be rested, with Albert Sambi Lokonga and Fabio Vieira coming in to replace the midfielders. The two replacements still make Arsenal a strong side, and risking Partey for a match outside of the Premier League is not worth it.
Due to Bukayo Saka starting the last match on the wing, this time Gabriel Martinelli should start with Marquinhos coming back into the team. It is important not to overuse the wingers to the point where they lose energy for midweek games, as their presence on the wings is crucial. And finally, Eddie Nketiah has played well in the Europa League this season, so he should keep his spot in the Europa League team. So, overall there should be six changes from the weekend game against Leeds.
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