Arsenal arguably had their worst performance of this season against Crystal Palace on Monday evening, as Mikel Arteta’s side came 3-0 losers at Selhurst Park. A Champions League for next season is still in The Gunners’ hands but Tottenham have gained ground on fourth place.
However, the result itself arguably was not the biggest disappointment of Arsenal’s defeat to Crystal Palace. It was the injury suffered by Thomas Partey, and the injury revealed to Kieran Tierney before the match kicked off which has led to a lot of worry amongst the fans. Nuno Tavares covered for Tierney but was extremely disappointing and hooked off at half-time, whereas Partey has a lack of cover for him if he is not fit.
It may be wise for Arteta to switch systems and play three centre-backs to cover for the potential injury losses and lack of depth in the squad. The Arsenal way debate whether or not they would change from the 4-3-3 formation that has seen a lot of success in recent matchdays.
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Bailey Keogh, The Arsenal Way Writer/Presenter
Despite the potential long-term losses of Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey, Mikel Arteta should not change from a system that has given Arsenal the most success this season. Especially in the final stretch of the campaign.
The defeat to Crystal Palace is certainly a one-off poor performance, and we shouldn’t completely change a system due to a singular bad game. That would be erratic.
Albert Sambi Lokonga came on into Partey’s position and was impressive, and therefore deserves a chance in the squad. Tavares was terrible, but Selhurst Park is arguably one of the toughest grounds in the league to visit, and their biggest strength is in the wing positions, meaning it was always going to be a tough night for Tavares at left-back.
Sambi Lokonga and Tavares are capable of coming in to replace Tierney and Partey with Arsenal still being dominant, as it was proved earlier in the season. Arsenal will not be coming up against a rampant Palace side every weekend, and therefore should not change the formation.
Tom Canton, The Arsenal Way Writer/Presenter
Nuno Tavares has shown this season that he is not a bad player. The Portuguese youth international was a crucial part of the strong performances that earned wins over Newcastle United, Leicester City, Aston Villa and Watford in the first half of the campaign.
Switching to a back three would enable Tavares more security behind him and therefore he could focus solely on his attacking traits; the areas where he excels. Rob Holding has flourished when dropped into the middle this season and Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White too can focus more on their distribution.
Ultimately the switch could bring back the composure of the team. The question lies in the formation of the attacking areas. However, Bukayo Saka as a potential right wing-back overlapping Odegaard who either plays as a central midfielder or part of a front three wouldn’t detract from their established relationship.
Mikel Arteta has options and with Takehiro Tomiyasu and Nicolas Pepe to return, hopefully for Brighton, there is a plethora of possibilities to try and turn around the poor Palace defeat. Brighton being their opponents also provides scope for experimentation with Graham Potter’s side the worst form side in the league of late.
What are your thoughts on the latest conundrum facing Mikel Arteta? Join the debate by leaving a comment below
