In his team’s upcoming match against Chelsea, Mikel Arteta, the head coach of Arsenal, may be able to use a secret weapon, but he must first make some important decisions. It happens as the international break begins, leaving the Gunners in second place before their next match after a two-week vacation.
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It should give the manager some time to formulate his strategies for the upcoming slate of games and map out the path his squad will take to win the Premier League. The Spaniard must make a crucial decision about the composition of his backline against the Blues.
The strategy from last season, which included selecting Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, and Ben White, has been used again in recent weeks. Gabriel was replaced at the beginning of the season by Thomas Partey, who played right-back and inverted into the midfield while pushing White into central defense, replacing Gabriel.
The reversion occurred as a result of Partey’s injury, but now that the Ghanaian is back in action, Arteta may have the choice once more. However, he could want to postpone doing that in favor of his conceivable secret weapon when he faces Chelsea in just over a week.
That is Gabriel’s advantage over his opponents in terms of set-piece threat, which can be essential to the overall outcome of the game. The Brazilian expertly demonstrated this by scoring on a near-post look during his most recent international match.
Along with that, the center-back’s decisive goal against Chelsea in the previous meeting at Stamford Bridge can be considered. While the goals scored by those up front get all the attention, the slight variations in attacking set pieces may make all the difference.
There is a very obvious secret weapon at Arteta’s disposal that he may employ. It remains to be seen which team Arteta chooses, with such a significant decision to be made.
