The wheels may have fallen off in somewhat spectacular fashion on Saturday, but Arsenal need to get back up and dust themselves off ahead of this evening’s visit to Nottingham Forest.
The Tricky Trees might’ve lost their last two games, but they currently sit in third place and just six points off the Gunners in the Premier League.
Moreover, with Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur all dropping points at the City Ground this season, the visitors cannot go into the match feeling sorry for themselves.
To ensure that doesn’t happen and that his team can return to winning ways, Mikel Arteta must unleash the Gunners’ chief instigator from the first minute.
Arsenal's record vs Forest
Since their first meeting back in October 1904, when they were under the name Woolwich Arsenal, the Gunners have played Nottingham Forest 106 times across all competitions, winning 55, drawing 22 and losing 29.
Unsurprisingly, on top of their overall record against the Tricky Trees being rather excellent, the North Londoners’ form against them over their last five encounters has been even better, with four wins and just a single loss to their name.
Arteta’s side comfortably beat the Garibaldis home and away last season, and earlier this year at the Emirates, they put three past them to no reply, courtesy of goals from Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey and Ethan Nwaneri.
However, the Gunners tasted defeat at the City Ground in May 2023, when one goal from Taiwo Awoniyi put the final nail in their title challenge that season and saw Manchester City crowned champions.
So, the North Londoners will need to be on top form to make sure that doesn’t happen again and to give his side a better chance of doing so, Arteta must unleash one of his most consistent players from the start.
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The Arsenal star Arteta must unleash against Forest
The unfortunate reality is that, thanks to injuries, poor form and suspensions, there really aren’t too many changes that Arteta can make to his team ahead of tonight’s game that could potentially make them stronger, well, apart from one.
Ben White made his long-awaited return to the first team on Saturday afternoon after spending just over three months out of action due to a knee injury and then surgery, but due to the circumstances, he couldn’t make much of an impact on proceedings.
However, now we know he’s fit enough to play, the manager should put him in from the very start, as while Jurrien Timber has done very well in his absence, he needs his minutes managed, and the Englishman offers something a little different at full-back.
21/22
37
0
0
22/23
46
2
5
23/24
51
4
5
24/25
13
0
1
Primarily, the Poole-born monster is exceptional at overlapping with Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka off the right, and while the Hale End icon is out of action, the incredibly gifted Nwaneri plays in a similar enough way there – cutting inside – that it shouldn’t be a problem.
However, not only does the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace offer much more width to the team, he’s also the Gunners’ “master of the dark arts,” as described by journalist Charles Watts.
Now, while some purists might not consider that to be a good thing, it really, really is.
Last season alone, there were countless times that the versatile defender disrupted opposition defenders and goalkeepers during corners and, in turn, helped his teammates add to their already impressive record of scoring from set pieces.
Finally, the fact that he tends to maraud up and down the touchline in a way Timber does not means that the manager can make tactical changes throughout the game, which is something he’s not been able to do with his right-back options while the 27-year-old has been out of action.
Ultimately, White is a sensationally gifted full-back who can defend and attack as well as wind up opposition players to his team’s advantage, so if he’s fit enough, he should start tonight’s game.
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