football.london’s Arsenal writers take a look at how Mikel Arteta could line his Gunners side up for their Premier League fixture against Aston Villa
The second clash of the Premier League is now here. The Gunners travel to the West Midlands to take on Unai Emery and Aston Villa in their first home match of the new season.
Mikel Arteta will be looking to overhaul the poor record he has against both Villa and Emery who beat them twice in the league during the previous campaign. This time round Arteta will be on the touchline after his suspension last season, he will also have some players he did not have access to last time such as Jurrien Timber.
Arsenal know that to win the title, these are the types of results from the previous campaign they need to turn into positive gains in the league table. Especially considering rivals Manchester City host Ipswich Town ahead of the Gunners’ evening kick-off.
Thankfully football.london‘s Arsenal writers Kaya Kaynak and Tom Canton are on hand to decide who they think the Spaniard should pick.
Tom Canton
The team selection for this game has gone back and forth in my mind for some time, especially the left-wing position. Tactical reasons and form factors have influenced this indecision but I have landed on Gabriel Martinelli for this game.
One thing that is expected of Villa and something my colleague Kaya Kaynak pointed out in this week’s Arsenal Way podcast was the high line the home side deploys. Leandro Trossard might indeed offer better finishing ability but this game seems more set up for the Brazilian to make those runs in behind too.
At left-back is the only area of major change as Jurrien Timber comes in for Oleksandr Zinchenko. Timber makes it to the second game of a Premier League season for the first time and his presence will be very valuable as he brings greater balance than the Ukrainian – particularly defensively.
The rest of the team remains unchanged from the win over Wolves. Here is hoping for another Kai Havertz masterclass as he looks to continue his goal-contributing run.
Canton’s Arsenal XI vs Aston Villa: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Jorginho, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.
Kaya Kaynak
After a strong start to the season I see little reason for Arsenal to make too many changes.
One I would make is in the back four, though. I think Oleksandr Zinchenko played well against Wolves, but Leon Bailey is a tricky customer and I think a good one-on-one defender could be vital at Villa Park. For that reason I’m bringing in Jurrien Timber.
In midfield I’ll always have a soft spot for Jorginho at Villa Park because of that goal two years ago. I’m bringing him in for Thomas Partey in the six role as a result.
In the forward line I don’t think Gabriel Martinelli had his best game against Wolves, but pace is a must with Villa’s high line. He’s the quickest player in the Arsenal team, so I’m playing him ahead of Leandro Trossard on the left
