Ahead of the upcoming North London derby, Arsenal have a fair few players away with their respective national teams over the break.
Riccardo Calafiori returned early from Italy duty, the defender has picked up a knock and neither club or country are keen to take a risk.
Arsenal may choose to turn to Calafiori in place of Declan Rice against Tottenham Hotspur, a move that would see Jurrien Timber step up into midfield
Of course, that will depend on the Italian’s condition ahead of September 15, and Mikel Arteta will be praying that none of his other stars return with an issue.
But on evidence of Rice’s performance for England against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, Arsenal are missing a vital cog to their winning machine.
Lee Carsley deployed Rice in a slightly more advanced role for his country, one he often plays under Arteta, and it worked extremely well.
Declan Rice is praised for driving England forward in 2-0 win over Ireland
Speaking on ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast, Alan Shearer echoed those thoughts, claiming that Rice was really driving Arsenal forward.
The pundit thought that Rice looked much more like the player we often see win games for Arsenal, perhaps a role the midfielder could continue for his country if Carsley sticks around
Shearer said: “Declan Rice, I thought, was superb in midfield. Always getting the ball, looking forward, driving forward, more like the Rice that we see in an Arsenal shirt.”
In all honesty, it is pretty surprising that Rice, who is still considered one of the best number sixes in world football, is now perhaps even more effective in an advanced role.
And in truth, Arteta deserves a ton of credit for his vision – a move that very few managers would make.
Mikel Merino could still improve Arsenal’s midfield
Of course, with Mikel Merino expected to be fit and ready to make his Arsenal debut in October, once he’s overcome his shoulder injury, it’ll be interesting to see how Arteta handles Rice’s situation.
Will Arteta once again use the Englishman as a number six?
It has been suggested that Merino may be used in the pivot, a role he used to play for Newcastle United in the Premier League years ago.
However, the Spaniard has taken the Granit Xhaka curve, his left foot is much better suited to sitting just outside the opposition’s penalty area.
It’s a positive problem for Arteta, one he’ll soon have the pleasure of solving.
And speaking of talented left feet, German media have been reacting to Kai Havertz’s latest performance in their 5-0 win over Hungary.
