Tuesday night’s 5-0 rout of Nottingham Forest by Arsenal displayed the true depth the Gunners possess in their ranks.
Excellent performances from Joe Willock and Gabriel Martinelli, with flashes of greatness from Reiss Nelson and Bukayo Saka were a real pleasure to witness, however, they were not the main event of the evening.
After months out, long-term Arsenal absentees Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin returned to first-team action. Holding took the armband from Mesut Ozil and seconds later headed in a Nelson cross. Not long after Bellerin’s introduction, the Spaniard played a signature low cross for Willock to tap home.
The young side on the pitch was mirrored by the average age of the crowd, many a young fan came out to witness their first Gunners match and will forever have that in common with debutant Kieran Tierney. The Scotland international played like he’d been in a red and white shirt for years and displayed many attributes Arsenal have been crying out for at left-back. Speed, crossing ability, assured passing and most of all, a solid defensive showing when called upon.
All this positivity for Unai Emery now gives him a substantial headache ahead of Arsenal’s next big test away at Old Trafford. Many Gunners fans see this as a great chance to claim a win and to achieve that, the defensive performance will be key.
With Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ fitness still unsure and several flawed performances from Sokratis, David Luiz and Sead Kolasinac, it could be the perfect trial for Holding, Bellerin and Tierney to try and transform Arsenal’s fortunes.
It is even possible that Calum Chambers, who was harshly ousted from the first team after a solid performance against Newcastle, could return to join his fellow younger colleagues.
Fulham’s 2018/19 player of the season had a great performance against Forest deputising at right-back, however a central position has always been the Englishman’s favoured spot.
United have injury issues of their own and without replacing Romelu Lukaku after his big money move to Inter, the pressure on their own young prodigy Daniel James to contribute with goals has been a surprising fixture of their season.
Bellerin and Tierney certainly have the pace to deal with the speed United have if Rashford and Martial play, but a reintroduction so soon into such a huge game could be one risk too far for Emery.
The bottom line is that change at the back is no longer a suggestion but a necessity and bringing in one, two or even three of the aforementioned defenders could kick-start a season which has thrown up more questions than it has answers.
Comments.
Loading comments…