Arsenal face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, hoping to extend their winning run to four games in all competitions. The Gunners have enjoyed a great run of form, of late and are coming on the back of a 4-0 win over Norwich City.
However, they are infamous for their unpredictability, and given the current status, the club simply cannot afford to be complacent this weekend if they are to push on for a potential place in the Europa League (or even Champions League) next season. So in this article, we will discuss what Arsenal need to do to get a win against Wolves this weekend.
Maintaining three at the back
In the last game, Mikel Arteta made an excellent decision of persisting with the three at the back setup he employed in the cup game against Sheffield United. The Spaniard must once again comply with a similar lineup if Arsenal are to have any hopes of overcoming their upcoming challenge.
This is primarily because Wolves play with their signature 3-4-3 formation under Nuno Espirito Santo. Starting with a four-man backline, in that regard, should give the opposition numerical advantage against Arsenal’s central defenders and with two marauding fullbacks also supporting the attackers, the Gunners could potentially get overwhelmed.
A 3-4-3, in contrast, provides an additional defender that makes it easier for a team to play the ball out from the back due to the extra passing option. In this case, the trifecta of David Luiz, Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding, combined with Granit Xhaka dropping deep, should make life easier for Arsenal this weekend.
Start with Alexandre Lacazette
Arteta opted for Lacazette ahead of the in-form Eddie Nketiah in the game against Norwich. While the Frenchman did impress, one would think that the Arsenal manager would like to rotate things once again by giving Nketiah a starting berth this weekend.
However, Arteta may come to rue that potential decision as Lacazette’s experience and work ethic is something that could come in handy for Arsenal against Wolves.
Indeed, the ex-Olympique Lyon striker has the hunger to find spaces and score goals, which allows him to grind out attacking opportunities for his team. This could be a useful asset for Arsenal against a Wolves side, which is known for its sturdy defensive line.
Kieran Tierney or Bukayo Saka
Against Norwich, Arteta made an interesting decision of omitting Bukayo Saka from the starting lineup. He instead continued with Kieran Tierney on the left flank, and the Scot did quite a good job as well with him being one of the most in-form Arsenal players heading into this game.
At the same time, however, Tierney has been quite unlucky with fitness problems during his short ongoing spell at Arsenal. With that in mind, it would perhaps be a wiser option for Arteta to opt for Saka on the left flank this weekend.
The Englishman has recently extended his contract at Arsenal and having last started against Sheffield United; he will be fresh to take on Wolves as looks ahead to a prosperous time at Emirates.
