Mikel Arteta likely to shuffle Arsenal deck again for Man United visit
Premier League
Arsenal 2 Fulham 2
Two wins and a draw and Mikel Arteta is already having to defend himself as Arsenal manager. They could and should have won this game by a wide margin, but tactics and personnel have changed from last season and something is not clicking. The Spaniard's rapid transformation of the club into title contenders has raised expectations to a level both he and his players will struggle to live up to if they do not proceed to lead the challenge to champions Manchester City again – and make an impact in the Champions League.
He did not hide from the disappointment of failing to win this match – conceding goals inside the first and 87th minutes were as good as own goals – but such is the lack of patience in the modern game he knows this weekend's visit of Manchester United has taken on extra importance for both clubs struggling to play to their potential.
Arteta is a young master at keeping fans, players and opponents guessing his next move, but the perceived wisdom is he will further adjust his early season experimentation for the visit of Erik ten Hag's faltering side.
He said as much when I asked him about his selection for this match – leaving the influential Eddie Nketiah and Alex Zinchenko on the bench and persisting with Thomas Partey as an inverted right back at the expense of finding a place for Brazil defender Gabriel.
“It’s difficult to leave all the players out,” he answered. “When I see on the bench there are a lot of players who still haven’t played. At the moment though we are once a week, when we are two a week (in the Champions League) it’s going to be a completely different scenario how we are prepared for that.
"If I compare the game we played against Fulham this time
Read on irishexaminer.com
