Arsenal will take a short trip across London to take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and Paul Merson is claiming that the Gunners will struggle to break down their arch-rivals.
Arsenal will be without Declan Rice who is suspended after picking up a red card against Brighton and to make matters worse, Martin Odegaard is also going to miss out on Sunday.
According to pundit Paul Merson, these two have very unique qualities which will be hard to replicate, especially against a team like Tottenham Hotspur.
He has said in his latest column: “Rice takes the ball up the pitch and Odegaard makes things happen in the final third. I don’t think there’s anybody that can replace Odegaard. He’s a very, very special player and would be the first name on the teamsheet. Arsenal need him in the big moments to pick the right pass.
“I’m trying to pick a midfield three and I can’t. They might be good on the ball, but they’re not going to get it back when Tottenham have it. That’s the worry for me. Jorginho likes to sit there and I don’t think Thomas Partey can go and play as a No 8.”
Will Arsenal struggle against Tottenham?
Mikel Arteta has not entirely ruled out Martin Odegaard but there’s a very very slim chance that the playmaker is going to feature in the matchday squad.
There’s no denying that there is a major midfield crisis for Mikel Arteta and if Odegaard is not around it will be very hard to break down Spurs. Last season, the Norwegian international created 102 chances just in the Premier League and he had an xA of 11.17. He has been one of the best signings for the club in recent years and neither Kai Havertz nor Raheem Sterling will be able to replicate his playmaking skills.
With Declan Rice and Mikel Merino unavailable, Arsenal are going to lose their legs in midfield and with the kind of game that Tottenham play, Ange’s side can run riot on Sunday.
Under the Australian manager, Spurs play a high-intensity and quick transition brand of football and to be honest, neither Partey nor Jorginho have the legs to keep pace for the full 90 minutes. Jorginho is 32 while Partey is massively injury prone.
Mikel Arteta will have to heavily rely on his attackers to see this one through and if they cannot perform then it’s almost certain that Arsenal will drop points.
