Arsenal take on Tottenham Hotspur on the road in Sunday’s Premier League clash.
The Gunners have recently dropped points with draws at Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers, and will be determined to return to winning ways in the north London derby.
Ahead of the game, manager Mikel Arteta must start Leandro Trossard on the left wing, in our view. The Belgian has been deemed fit after picking up a knock to his face on Wednesday night.
Trossard only came on as a 73rd-minute substitute for Bukayo Saka in midweek, but he was substituted at the start of stoppage time with the untimely blow.
We believe Arteta probably missed a trick by not starting Trossard on the left side of the Gunners’ attack.
With Wolves operating with a low defensive block, the Belgian would have been an ideal candidate with his ability to score and provide assists from tight spaces.
Gabriel Martinelli got the nod over him and ended up playing 90 minutes with barely any output.
The Brazilian squandered a big scoring opportunity early on. Over the course of the game, he won just four out of 18 duels contested, losing possession 24 times.
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It was a dismal showing from the 24-year-old, who should be dropped to the bench for the derby.
It appears a no-brainer decision to pick Trossard on the left wing, given he has scored four goals and provided an assist in his previous 10 meetings against Spurs.
Three of those goal contributions (two goals and an assist) have come in the past two derbies. He opened the scoring and provided the assist for Eberechi Eze’s hat-trick in the reverse fixture.
It is not certain that Eze will get the nod in the starting XI against Spurs based on the previous meeting, but we would be surprised if Trossard does not feature from the off on Sunday evening.
Trossard has been described as a ‘massive weapon‘ by manager Mikel Arteta this season. He could be a difference-maker for the Gunners as they seek to return to winning ways in the league.
Arsenal are presently five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City in the standings, but the latter have a game in hand against Crystal Palace, which has yet to be rescheduled.