Arsenal: Ben White at centre-back? Leandro Trossard to start? Mikel Arteta's selection dilemmas ahead of crucial Man City clash | 1 News Day, breaking news, sport, business, politics, Science & Health

A run of three successive draws has come just at the wrong time for Arsenal with their lead at the top of the Premier League table cut to five points ahead of a crucial clash with Man City on Wednesday.

The Gunners let two-goal leads slip at Liverpool and West Ham to draw 2-2 in both games before a 3-3 draw with Southampton last Friday handed Pep Guardiola’s side, who have two games in hand, the initiative in the title race ahead of the crunch clash at the Etihad Stadium.

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It left Mikel Arteta with plenty to ponder but all is not yet lost for Arsenal, who are unbeaten in 10 league games since a 3-1 defeat to City at the Emirates Stadium, with the destiny of the title still in their own hands. But to keep it that way they require a win at City, something they have not done since a 2-0 win back in January 2015.

So, how do Arsenal go about bouncing back at Man City? Here, we assess Arteta’s options as the Gunners look to upset the odds and get their title charge back on track at the Etihad…

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White back to centre-back to replace Holding?

Image: Gabriel and Ben White have impressed as a defensive pairing

William Saliba’s absence is expected to continue for the trip to Man City and there are now fears the Frenchman could miss the rest of Arsenal’s campaign.

Rob Holding has started all of Arsenal’s last five matches and the Gunners are yet to keep a clean sheet, conceding nine goals – seven of which have come in the last three games. But it’s not just defensively that Arsenal have been hampered in Saliba’s absence. In possession, Arsenal’s build-up play has been heavily impacted without the 21-year-old.

“Saliba is a proactive, forward-thinking defender who has been invaluable in allowing Arsenal to play in their opponents’ half this season. Holding, by contrast, is at his best when defending his box,” Sky Sports’ Nick Wright wrote in a feature about why Saliba’s absence is hurting Arsenal. “It is in fact in possession, rather than out of it, that the gulf between the 27-year-old and the man he is replacing is widest, and it is in that respect that Arsenal have struggled the most.”

It’s a fact not lost on Arsenal’s opponents in recent weeks with Holding and his team-mates at the back being put under intense pressure as they look to play out from the back. West Ham and Southampton extracted individual errors from Thomas Partey and Aaron Ramsdale, and that will not have gone unnoticed by Man City.

Against Guardiola’s side, Arsenal’s build-up play will surely come under heavy scrutiny once again. Could that lead to a change at the heart of Arsenal’s defence?

Ben White has been Arsenal’s first choice right-back all season, but he was part of Arsenal’s first choice centre-back pairing alongside Gabriel Magalhaes for all of last season.

Image: Ben White clears under pressure from Wilfried Zaha

Known for his ability on the ball, there have been calls for him to be switched inside but so far, Arteta has resisted from moving the former Brighton defender away from his role on the right side of the defence.

A reason for this may be the fact that he is currently Arsenal’s only fit right-back but with Arsenal’s title credentials firmly on the line at City, Arteta’s hand may be forced as he looks for a way to stem the flow of goals his side are conceding and improve his side’s build-up play.

Could Arteta spring a surprise at right-back?

There’s been a lot of talk about Saliba’s injury and the impact it has had on Arsenal’s title bid but the same sort of emphasis can be placed on the absence of Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Tomiyasu was ruled out for the season after injuring his knee against Sporting Lisbon last month – the same costly game which saw Saliba sustain his back injury.

The injury to the Japan international has left White as the only fit senior right-back available to Arteta, a reason we may have not seen him move inside to partner Gabriel sooner. But if the time has come for White to move inside, who could play on the right?

'Unfortunate Arsenal don't have another right-back'

Sky Sports’ Alan Smith:

“Ben White could go into the middle and settle things down, perhaps, but against City, you’d want to avoid making too many changes.

“You’d think long and hard about moving Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has been so influential on the left playing as an inverted full-back which is so integral to the side.

“Could Kieran Tierney play up against Jack Grealish? That would be a difficult call to make.

“It’s an unfortunate situation that there isn’t another orthodox right-back. If Arteta had that option, he would have already made the move to switch White into the middle.”

Oleksandr Zinchenko has been Arsenal’s first choice left-back all season ahead of Kieran Tierney, with the Ukraine international adding a new dimension to the Gunners as an inverted full-back. However, could it be time for Zinchenko and Tierney to both start with the former City star, who played a period of Ukraine’s European Championship qualifying defeat to England in March at right-back, moving over to the right flank with Tierney filling the left-back spot.

Zinchenko’s role so far this season has seen him drift all over the pitch as he looks to get as involved as he can in Arsenal’s build-up play, and that is something that he could still do from right-back.

Arteta also has previous playing a full-back out of position. In the absence of Zinchenko, the Spaniard sprung a surprise earlier in the season by playing Tomiyasu at left-back ahead of Tierney against Liverpool. It was a move that worked too as the right-footed Tomiyasu combatted Mohamed Salah’s trademark attempts to cut inside onto his stronger left-foot.

Food for thought potentially with the in-form Jack Grealish a key figure for City cutting in from the left flank.

Another option could be Thomas Partey. You would have been hard pressed to find an Arsenal fan who would even consider the possibility of moving the Ghana midfielder from the heart of Arsenal’s midfield a few weeks ago. However, after a couple of indifferent performances against West Ham and Southampton could Arteta spring a surprise and use Partey in a role he has had experience of before at Atletico Madrid?

Image: Arsenal's Thomas Partey

Diego Simeone was no stranger to using the 29-year-old in that position and he did feature there for Arsenal after White was substituted in the final stages of their Europa League exit to Sporting last month.

Arsenal do also have a ready-made replacement to fill in for Partey in midfield in January arrival Jorginho. The former Chelsea star’s game time has been limited since moving to north London but he has impressed in the games he has played, filling while Partey was side-lined through injury.

There’s no doubt it would be a huge surprise to see Partey shifted from the base of Arsenal’s midfield but with an experienced player like Jorginho to call on, the switch cannot be ruled if it allows White to play at centre-back and improve Arsenal’s build-up play.

‘Partey needs to bounce back’

Sky Sports’ Alan Smith:

“Thomas Partey has to bounce back and play a big part for Arsenal at Man City.

“He was quite a way below the standard he has set this season against West Ham and Southampton. He gave the ball away a number of times in both games and just didn’t look himself in central midfield, which is a key position in Arsenal’s system.”

Is Trossard pushing for a start at City?

Leandro Trossard has enjoyed a fine start to life at Arsenal since his January move from Brighton.

He has registered an incredible seven assists helping Arsenal through a difficult period when they were without strikers Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah through injury.

In the seven games he has started, the Gunners have a 100 per cent winning record averaging 3.3 goals a game. However, since Jesus’ return, the 28-year-old has been consigned to a role on the substitute’s bench but his impact in what was a difficult situation against Southampton was there for all to see.

During the second half, Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Karen Carney talked a lot about Arsenal running out of ideas as they struggled to break down a stubborn Saints defence, but Trossard’s introduction and his ability on the ball in tight spaces helped turned the game in Arsenal’s favour.

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Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta was in a light-hearted mood when responding to reporters after their 4-1 win against Leeds

Incredibly, he almost won the game for his side in the dying stages as his long-range effort struck the crossbar.

But four into three doesn’t go with Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka Arteta’s regular front three.

“It’s hard to see where Trossard would play,” former Arsenal striker Alan Smith told Sky Sports. “Martinelli was excellent against Southampton and Saka has been influential figures for this side all season. Jesus is also a key player for Arteta, even though he did snatch at a few chances in the draw with Saints.”

It’s those wasted chances in front of goal that have led to plenty of discussions about whether Trossard should replace Jesus in Arsenal’s starting XI, with the Brazilian now having the biggest xG underperformance in the Premier League this season.

Jesus has nine goals in 27 appearances for Arsenal – with his xG at 13.07 – this season but three of those goals have come in the last four matches, and with his former club in his sights next, it’d be a brave decision from Arteta to leave out his star striker, despite the impact Trossard is making.

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What about a change of shape?

The final curve ball Arteta could throw at his former boss Guardiola could be a change in formation.

Again, it’s not something that would have come into the reckoning a few weeks ago with Arteta steadfast on his 4-3-3 formation this season, but after three successive draws the Arsenal boss may what to freshen things up against an in-form City.

Since a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in February, City are unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions. They have won six straight games in the league, scoring 18 goals. They have scored 51 goals in all competitions since the Spurs defeat.

In contrast, Arsenal’s defensive issues have been there for all to see in Saliba’s absence. Could it tempt Arteta into a switch to three at the back at the Etihad?

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Paul Merson believes that Arsenal need to not lose against Manchester City if they want to win the title while Sue Smith thinks Pep Guardiola’s team look ‘unstoppable’

It’s a shape that has had some success against City in the past, in particular for Thomas Tuchel Chelsea, who claimed three wins over Guardiola’s side towards the back end of the 2020/21 campaign in the FA Cup semi-finals, the Premier League and decisively in the Champions League final.

Arteta has also used the 3-4-3 formation during his time at Arsenal and also against City in a 2-0 win in the FA Cup semi-finals in 2020. However, former Gunner Smith thinks a change of shape at this stage would send the wrong message.

“I doubt he will change the formation,” Smith told Sky Sports. “I think it sends the wrong message to the team, suggesting they are scared of City and just there to compete. It’s a match Arsenal really need to win, and all the Arsenal players know their roles inside out in this 4-3-3 formation.

“We saw what happened up at Newcastle on Sunday when Cristian Stellini changed Spurs’ system. The players were unfamiliar with their roles and Spurs were picked apart to devastating effect. Arteta will be very wary of that happening to his side at City.”