We’re in Premier League action later this afternoon when we visit Brighton.
It’s a tough place to go, as we know, and even if they’ve had a fairly inconsistent season, they’re strong at the Amex – with 7 wins, 6 draws and just 1 defeat. Having made five changes in midweek for the game against Luton, you’d expect a few today too. While we’re definitely in one game at a time territory, the Champions League tie on Tuesday might play a part in how the manager approaches this one.
It could be a game for Takehiro Tomiyasu, either at left-back or even deputising for Ben White on the right. You’d think Declan Rice will come back into midfield, perhaps with Jorginho returning too, although earlier in the season when we played really well against Brighton, it was a midfield trio of Rice, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard.
Perhaps that will depend on who is available up front. Mikel Arteta was fairly coy on the availability of Bukayo Saka early in his press conference, but then said later he expects him to ‘fly’ and play a decisive part in the run-in. Whether he’s 100% ready to start, we’ll have to wait and see. Gabriel Martinelli got some more minutes on the right on Wednesday night, and if Saka isn’t there from the start, I would prefer to see him there – with Leandro Trossard on the left – than any of the other options we have.
There was no Gabriel Jesus at all in midweek, so it’ll be interesting to see if he features today. He could lead the line if fit enough, but it does feel a bit like he’s being somewhat nursed at this moment in time, and his record in the Champions League might give Arteta an either/or decision to make. Does he view him as more important for the game against Bayern?
If he’s not available, it’d probably be Havertz up front, which could mean a Jorginho/Partey in midfield with Rice further forward, or another combo. I wasn’t expecting Emile Smith Rowe to start against Luton, and his impactful performance might…
Source link : https://arseblog.com/2024/04/brighton-preview-arteta-on-smith-rowe/
Author : arseblog
Publish date : 2024-04-06 07:59:10
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