It wasn’t pretty, but Arsenal got back to winning ways on the road last night.
The Gunners ran out 1-0 winners against Everton and, in the process, secured their place atop the Premier League table for Christmas.
It was a crucial match for the under-fire Viktor Gyokeres as well, as, even though he still left a little to be desired, he did bury the all-important penalty and end his goal drought.
However, with a League Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace on Tuesday, Mikel Arteta has to make several changes, including dropping a starter who was even more underwhelming than Gyokeres against Everton.
The Changes Arteta could make for Crystal Palace
Starting between the sticks, and while David Raya has been brilliant this season, it’s only right that Kepa Arrizabalaga comes back into the team after starting the last two rounds.
Things get a bit more interesting when it comes to the defence, as injuries and availability might force the manager to start a couple of players he’d otherwise leave out.
However, one player who simply has to come into the side is Myles Lewis-Skelly, who was instrumental in one of the goals in the last round.
Moving into the middle of the park, it should almost go without saying that Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice should be rested for this game.
The two internationals are vital to the club, and with Mikel Merino and Christian Norgaard ready to step in, what would be the point in risking them ahead of a jam-packed Christmas schedule?
It’s a similar story on the wings, as Noni Madueke would be the perfect replacement for Bukayo Saka in this game, and Gabriel Martinelli could come in for Leandro Trossard.
Finally, perhaps the most interesting choice Arteta will have to make for this game is who leads the line.
On the one hand, Gabriel Jesus has generally looked impressive coming off the bench in recent weeks and could do with the game time.
On the other hand, Gyokeres finally got his goal against the Toffees, and therefore it might do him good to keep his place and build on that.
With that said, whatever the manager decides to do up top, there is another player who he should be taking out of the side, someone who underwhelmed on Saturday night.
The Arsenal star Arteta should drop
With most of the team already covered, it should come as no surprise that the player in question is Martin Odegaard.
Now, before the pitchforks and torches come out, the captain wasn’t terrible against Everton and is often scapegoated by fans, but he also wasn’t particularly good either.
In fact, the Norwegian international was probably the most underwhelming of Arsenal’s starters, including Gyokeres.
For example, in his 88 minutes of action, the former Real Madrid gem produced an expected assists figure of just 0.16, played one cross, failed to create a big chance, was dribbled past one, failed to take a shot and lost 100% of his duels.
In all, it was just a frustrating display from the 26-year-old as fans know just how good he can be when he’s in the swing of things.
Therefore, his lacklustre showing and the need to protect him should see Arteta drop him for Tuesday night’s game.
Fortunately, the Spaniard has two excellent players who could come in to replace him.
However, should he want to inject some more energy and unpredictability into the side, the manager could go for Ethan Nwaneri, who needs more minutes this year.