Arsenal have sold several players during the January transfer window but the EPL side have remarkably failed to bring anyone in. Aubameyang has left the club permanently while Balogun has been sent out on loan which means the centre-forward area is really lean and fragile going into the second half of the campaign.
Arsenal have a tough fight in their hands for a top-four spot on the EPL table and with only a handful of centre-forwards at his disposal, Mikel Arteta will have to be really lucky in terms of where the goals will come from.
The manager though has put up a brave face when asked about the club’s inability to sign new players and he’s also hinted that a false-nine system could be used if there’s a need for it.
He told the press: “We have three strikers. We have Laca and we have Eddie with us and they are both more than capable of scoring goals and they have shown that over the years with us.
“We can play with different kinds of nines, and we have the option and the variability to do it. We can play with two nines as well because we have two, let’s see, depending on the game, where we are, the stage of the game as well, we have variables.
“We can play with different kinds of nines, and we have the option and the variability to do it. We can play with two nines as well because we have two, let’s see, depending on the game, where we are, the stage of the game as well, we have variables.
Mikel Arteta says the club captain is Alexandre Lacazette at the moment. 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/yna8hMAcoF
— Connor Humm (@TikiTakaConnor) February 9, 2022
“We are going to need a high level of performances, we’ll need our supporters on board – that will be so key – and we are going to have a real go. But again, we can only go game-by-game.”
Will Arsenal play with a false nine vs Wolves?
Wolves have been in great form in recent months and they are undefeated in their previous five EPL games so given how thin Arsenal’s squad is, there’s every chance that Arteta could use a false-nine formation. To make matters worse are haven’t won in their two league outings so their manager might look to try something different.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has made the false-nine formation his go-to this season and his former apprentice could very well deploy the same tactics on Thursday.
Lacazette has been playing as the main centre-forward but the Frenchman has only scored a handful of goals this season so Mikel Arteta could shake things up by using Laca or Nketiah as a false nine.
It’s really hard to predict how Mikel Arteta will set up his side but there’s no denying that having such a small squad will very much play on his mind when they visit Molineux. Trying something out of the box could be the only way to catch Bruno Lage’s side off guard.
