Nicolas Pepe, Sambi Lokonga and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are all potential candidates to replace Granit Xhaka in the Arsenal lineup following the midfielder’s injury setback
Granit Xhaka will almost certainly miss Arsenal’s Premier League encounter with Brighton and Hove Albion this weekend.
And reports coming out of Switzerland suggest he is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury during the Gunners’ 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Whilst football.london understands that official confirmation of Xhaka’s layoff is expected very soon after the midfielder met with further knee specialists, Swiss journalist Andreas Boni claims the rupture sustained by a ligament in his right knee will see him miss between six to eight weeks of action.
The worst-case scenario is that Xhaka will be unavailable for the next two months, which means in addition to missing Saturday’s game against Brighton, he will also sit out fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester United in November.
So who will Mikel Arteta turn to in Xhaka absence?
Well, the Spaniard does have several central midfielders at his disposal to make a like-for-like change as Albert Sambi Lokonga, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Mohamed Elneny will all be vying to partner Thomas Partey.
As Xhaka was influential in two of three goals against Tottenham with his passing between the lines or just excellent reading of the game, it’s hardly the ideal scenario for Arteta as for the first time this season he was able to name his first-choice XI.
But given how Arsenal fared in Xhaka’s absence – albeit against weaker opposition in Norwich City, Burnley and AFC Wimbledon – it gives Arteta the chance to immediately revert back to his dream 4-3-3 formation.
After turning to the 4-3-3 system in the second half against the Canaries after the international break, the Spaniard stuck with it at Turf Moor as well as the Carabao Cup third-round tie and it yielded five goals and three clean sheets.
In handing Xhaka a recall against Spurs, it meant Arsenal lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with the Swiss midfielder and Partey in the double pivot in front of the back four.
It also meant Pepe was the odd man out with Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka preferred on the flanks – a decision that was justified as the pair each weighed in with a goal and assist.
Therefore, Arteta has a big decision to make in the wake of this injury setback.
Arsenal looked impressive using the 4-3-3 formation during Xhaka’s absence, with Martin Odegaard and Smith Rowe operating as ‘double 8’s’ alongside Partey in the engine room, so Arteta has the perfect solution ahead of this weekend’s clash against Brighton.
With that said, should he restore Pepe to the starting lineup it could pose a problem.
As explained by football.london’s Kaya Kaynak, Saka’s performance against Spurs would have been a concern to the Ivorian who was an unused substitute in the North London Derby.
Having started the season on the left-wing, the England international switched back over to the right last Sunday and his two-goal contribution would suggest that should be his permanent starting position.
Furthermore, when you factor in how devastating Arsenal looked in attack at times, you wouldn’t begrudge Arteta for sticking with the same quartet that started against Spurs to cope with Xhaka’s absence.
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