Arsenal face the biggest game in their recent history against French giants Paris Saint-Germain next week and it appears that Mikel Arteta is already putting thought into his starting XI
Mikel Arteta has hinted that he could continue his Leandro Trossard experiment in Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain. The Gunners are set to take on the French side in the semi-finals next week after beating Real Madrid.
Arsenal have a few Premier League games to navigate ahead of welcoming PSG to the Emirates. The Gunners clashed with Ipswich at Portman Road over the weekend – sealing a 4-0 win against the struggling side.
They then take on Crystal Palace at the Emirates later this week ahead of their showdown with PSG. And it appears that Arteta has dropped a few hints during Arsenal’s league commitments.
Leandro Trossard led the line for Arsenal against Ipswich, a decision that paid dividends after the Belgian’s brace. Asked if he could be handed a similar role against PSG, Arteta replied: “Yeah, he’s certainly ready to play in any position.
‘We have to make certain adjustments, not because of PSG but because of the situation we had with Thomas and a few other players, but that’s good because the team shows adaptability, versatility for certain players to play in different positions. That’s very much needed, especially when we have the numbers that we have at the moment.”
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Arteta could also tweak Mikel Merino’s position vs PSG. The Spaniard played slightly further forwards against Ipswich in the absence of Thomas Partey – with Declan Rice holding – and turned in an impressive outing.
Arteta was also full of praise. He added: “That’s where he’s played his whole career. But obviously, we have a very short memory sometimes, and we see him as a nine and now it’s almost strange to see him in midfield. I think he did really well.”
Asked how he would rotate his side over the coming week ahead of the game vs PSG, Arteta replied: “We have to somehow put 11 players out there and have four or five changes, so let’s see how they recover in the next few days.
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“The good thing is they are willing to play because they like the rhythm as well. We are so used to that rhythm every three days that the boys are demanding and then we don’t have a game at the weekend, so we have a gap there, so let’s see how we get on on Wednesday.”
Arsenal already know the potential opponents they could take on in the Champions League final should they plot a route past PSG. Inter Milan and Barcelona come together in the other semi-final.
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