Arsenal face Bournemouth on Saturday as they look to re-find their form in the run-in and Mikel Arteta has been given a word of advice by a Premier League legend
Mikel Arteta has been given advice in the Premier League run-in
Following a dramatic late victory in Lisbon on Tuesday evening, Arsenal will resume Premier League duties against Bournemouth on Saturday. Mikel Arteta welcomed back several players for the triumph over Sporting CP and may face tough selection choices during the crucial final stretch.
Kai Havertz emerged from the substitutes’ bench to net the decisive strike in midweek and he’s not the only player staking a claim for a starting berth against the Cherries. Teenage prodigy Max Dowman has already demonstrated he can compete with Premier League defences and there’s been considerable demand for him to feature more regularly.
Following this weekend’s encounter, there’s a swift turnaround before Sporting travel to North London for the return leg of their European clash. Arteta will face numerous crucial decisions for those pivotal matches and some guidance has come his way. Here, the Daily Star Sport looks at the latest updates.
Arteta offered Dowman guidance
Former England centre-back Rio Ferdinand reckons Max Dowman could prove pivotal for Arsenal in the title battle. The 16 year old made a significant impact in the recent victory over Everton when he contributed to both goals, finding the net for the first time in the Premier League.
“He could be the key to Mikel Arteta getting Arsenal over the line, I think he’s that good,” the pundit said on Rio Ferdinand Presents. “He’s not got the mental scars that the other players have because of what they’ve gone through in previous seasons.
“You might need someone like him to lean on and tell him to be fearless and help us through it without giving him too much responsibility. He could be a massive key for Arsenal in that sense.”
Eze return provides headache
Eberechi Eze appears poised to make his comeback ahead of expectations for Arsenal. The England international hasn’t featured since mid-March, when he found the net in a 2-0 Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
Original projections indicated Eze could be sidelined for up to six weeks with a calf problem. Nevertheless, he has resumed training, prompting speculation he might even be in contention this weekend.
While Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly welcome having additional choices available, the comeback of the £68m star could present the manager with tricky selection dilemmas for his starting elevens in the forthcoming weeks. However, Martin Odegaard was absent from training and the Gunners chief will be hoping his skipper isn’t facing another period out injured.
