Mikel Arteta drops hint over Arsenal team to face PSG after Ipswich thrashing
'He's certainly ready to play...'
Following the 4-0 win at Ipswich Town, Mikel Arteta indicated which Arsenal players will start against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-final.
Arsenal cruised to victory against 10-man Ipswich at Portman Road on Sunday to prolong the Premier League title race for at least a few more days.
After being benched for the stunning victory at Real Madrid last Wednesday, Leandro Trossard started up top and bagged a brace, with Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri also finding the back of the net.
With Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus injured, midfielder Mikel Merino has been deployed as a makeshift striker to good effect, scoring in the first-leg of the quarter-final win over Real.
But with Thomas Partey suspended for the first-leg of the UCL semi-final against PSG, Arteta will have to rethink his team and it was suggested that the game at Ipswich would be used a trial run.
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Against the Tractor Boys, Rice played deeper as a No.6, with Merino taking his role as a box-to-box midfielder and Trossard as the No.9 – a system that worked brilliantly.
Asked in his post-match press conference if he thought the Belgian forward was ready to start against PSG next week, Arteta said: ‘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.’
Like Trossard, Merino played very well against Ipswich, setting up Martinelli’s goal and doing his job offensively and defensively.
‘That’s where he’s played his whole career,’ Arteta said of his fellow Spanaird.
‘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.’
Before Arsenal take on PSG, they host Crystal Palace on Wednesday night knowing that defeat could hand the Premier League title to Liverpool.
‘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,’ Arteta said when asked how he would rotate his side.
‘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.’
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