Arsenal are finally back in Premier League action on Boxing Day, when they will face West Ham at the Emirates Stadium hoping to continue their push for a first league title since 2003.
Sitting on a five-point lead over Manchester City in the table, it’s very much a case of ‘so far, so good’ for Mikel Arteta’s team, although they can expect serious challenges to their position to mount over the course of the second half of the season.
With that in mind, it’s imperative Arsenal hit the ground running following their World Cup hiatus. Upcoming fixtures against West Ham, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Newcastle United all look tricky on paper, while a north London derby away at Tottenham Hotspur is always fiery.
A clash with Manchester United at the Emirates will close out January. Here are five things Arteta and Arsenal need to address following the World Cup break to help prolong their strong first half to the season.
The silver lining to Gabriel Jesus’ knee injury, sustained during Brazil’s final World Cup group game against Brazil, is that it now gives Eddie Nketiah a run of games as starting striker in the Premier League.
The bad news is that Mikel Arteta has no other natural striker in the squad and Jesus could be out for at least three months.
Gabriel Martinelli is one player who could be moved into a more central role but it would be prudent for Arsenal to make a move for a replacement as soon as the January transfer market opens.
Former target Dusan Vlahovic isn’t a realistic option for now, despite Juventus’ future looking increasingly uncertain, but if the goal truly is to win the Premier League this season (and it should be), Arsenal can’t rely on just Nketiah and Martinelli for the remainder of the campaign – with Europa League and FA Cup fixtures to come as well.
They need a quality striker in as soon as possible, worry about the balance of the squad in the summer.
Arsenal are blessed with two outstanding left-backs in the form of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney, with neither deserving to sit on the bench.
A minor muscle problem ruled Zinchenko out of Arsenal’s friendlies during the World Cup break, meaning Kieran Tierney has started in victories over both Lyon and AC Milan during their warm-weather training camp in Dubai.
Zinchenko should be…
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