ARSENAL have been plunged into yet another injury crisis – and it could not have come at a worse time.
Gunners boss is facing the prospect of missing FOURdefensive starters for a mammoth quarter final first leg tie at home to next week.
Centre back of Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over on Tuesday night with a worrying hamstring injury that could see the Brazilian out for weeks.
Dutch right-back is now also a doubt picked up against the Cottagers – having also missed large parts of the international break due to illness.
That duo joins full-backs and in the treatment room, both struggling with knee injuries.
While White is fighting to be fit for Arsenal’s trip to on Saturday, Calafiori will likely be missing for a few weeks after getting crocked for Italy over the break.
So, where does that leave boss when it comes to picking a defensive line that can take on Carlo Ancelotti’s Galacticos? He has a few options:
Should White and Timber miss out, then Arteta could turn to – a midfielder who has spent a bit of time at right-back thanks to injuries this season.
have used this back-line just once before this term – a 3-0 league phase victory over Monaco in the .
Both Lewis-Skelly and Partey will take it in turns to invert into midfield.
However, would love the chance to run Partey ragged over 90 minutes, and would surely get the better of him on more than one occasion.
The preferred option for Arteta with Timber back in the line-up should he be able to shake off the knee knock that gave him a bit of trouble against .
Timber’s defensive abilities, and driving runs forward, would fare much better against Vinicius Jr, allowing Partey to slip back into midfield.
But another issue is that until Tuesday night, for 74 minutes against Fulham, Lewis-Skelly had never played next to Kiwior...
If White passes his fitness test, then Arteta will seriously be considering reigniting the former Brighton and Leeds defender’s role as a centre back.
White has the passing ability, the speed and the physicality to do a decent job in the middle, as he showed in the 2-2 draw at home to back in October beside Gabriel.
This would be a hugely risky but very interesting option should Arteta wish to shake things up completely, just like his mentor often does in these huge games.
Switching from a four at the back to a three with two wing-backs, this would look to stifle Madrid’s attacking talents, while also adding another dimension on the counter.
Lewis-Skelly and Timber could tuck in, especially to protect Kiwior from Madrid’s speed demons, while also overlapping given the chance to provide support for Saka and Martinelli out wide.
