Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against Wolves must convince Mikel Arteta to make some big changes for the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Gunners took an early lead at Molineux on Wednesday night, and it seemed like a comfortable evening at that point. Then, Piero Hincapie’s strike in the second half convinced everyone that the leaders would win.
However, Arsenal were pathetic in the final 30 minutes of the game and deservedly ended up dropping points.
Although every player on the pitch deserves blame, we think three of them were so bad that they need to come out of the starting lineup in the North London Derby against Tottenham on Sunday.
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Mikel Arteta must drop three Arsenal players vs Tottenham
Jurrien Timber
Jurrien Timber was one of Arsenal’s best players in the first half of the season, but in recent weeks, the Dutchman has struggled.
The former Ajax star has looked nothing like his usual self, and his performance against Wolves on Wednesday night was arguably his worst in an Arsenal shirt.
Timber needs a break, and with Ben White impressing almost every time he plays, we think it’s time for the England international to start against Tottenham.
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Gabriel Martinelli
Gabriel Martinelli was Arsenal’s most disappointing player against Wolves.
The Brazilian worked tirelessly, as he always does, but every time he got the ball in a good position, he failed to do anything meaningful. This has been a constant theme for Martinelli in the Premier League all season – he has scored just once in the competition.
In the North London Derby, Martinelli must make way for Leandro Trossard, who has been twice the player in the league this season. If the Belgian is injured, Arteta should use Eberechi Eze there instead.
What was the worst thing about Gabriel Martinelli’s performance against Wolves?
Noni Madueke
Noni Madueke has chipped in with a few goals recently, but he did nothing against Wolves. The Englishman got on the ball plenty, but he failed with his end product again.
That has been the case for large parts of this season, and it simply cannot happen against Tottenham on Sunday. If Arsenal drop points again, their title dreams could be over.
We think Bukayo Saka should be pushed back to the right wing, with either Martin Odegaard or Kai Havertz, who are both in contention to return from their injuries, starting in attacking midfield.
Martin Zubimendi needs to change his ways or he should be dropped too
Martin Zubimendi has had a fine debut campaign for Arsenal next to Declan Rice, but the Spaniard is not making full use of his capabilities.
We’ve all seen the former Real Sociedad man play excellent long diagonals and dangerous passes between the lines to unleash his teammates.
In recent weeks, Zubimendi has not done that as much as he should, and that became even more evident when Christian Norgaard did everything and more when he replaced the Spain international against Wigan.
We still think Zubimendi should get the nod against Tottenham, but if the midfielder doesn’t start feeding the attackers, he should come out of the side.