There are just eight Premier League games left for Arsenal this season, and with Liverpool just two points ahead, it's all still to play for.
Mikel Arteta's side came away from the Etihad with a hard-fought point last weekend and with all three against Luton Town after a number of changes to the lineup on Wednesday.
However, the prospect of an away game against Brighton & Hove Albion this evening is a whole nother kettle of fish, and so Arteta should look to drop Leandro Trossard to the bench after his mediocre display against the Hatters.
Leandro Trossard's performance vs Luton
The first thing to clear up is that Trossard wasn't bad on Wednesday night. Like a few of his teammates, he was simply underwhelming, and if the Gunners want to take all three points away from the Amex, underwhelming won't do.
This is an opinion shared by the Standard's Simon Collings, who gave the Belgian's performance a 6/10 on the night. He wrote that while he 'turned his opposite number inside out more than once,' he still 'looks best as a false nine', which is a position Kai Havertz will likely keep for some time.
Collings' perspective is one backed up by the 29-year-old's statistics on the night as in his 94 minutes of action, he registered an expected assists figure of 0.27 and succeeded in three of his four dribbles, but he also maintained a passing accuracy of just 80%, failed to register a shot on or off target, lost four of his eight duels, lost possession 13 times and completed just one cross.
Minutes
94'
Expected Goals
0.05
Expected Assists
0.27
Dribbles (Successful)
4 (3)
Shots on Target
0
Shots off Target
0
Touches
46
Accurate Passes
24/30 (80%)
Key Passes
1
Possession Lost
13
Fouls
1
Crosses (Successful)
2 (1)
Long Balls (Successful)
1 (0)
In all, it wasn't a performance that should see him keep his place in the team for tonight's must-win encounter on the south coast.
Why Gabriel Martinelli should start against Brighton
Yes, the electric Gabriel Martinelli should be brought back into the starting XI for today's game instead of Trossard.
There are a few reasons, with the first relating to their effectiveness on the left wing. In Martielli's 31 appearances on the left this season, he's scored eight goals and provided five assists, meaning that he's currently averaging a goal involvement every 2.3 games.
In comparison, the former Seagulls ace has scored six goals and provided just one assist from his 22 appearances out wide, meaning that he is averaging a goal involvement every 3.1 games.
Player
Martinelli
Trossard
Appearances
31
22
Goals
8
6
Assists
5
1
Goal Involvements per Match
2.3
3.1
Moreover, the gulf in output was present last season as well – albeit slightly less significant – with the former Ituano gem averaging a goal involvement every 2.2 games compared to the Belgian's average of every 2.5 games.
The second reason for starting the "sensational talent," as U23 scout Antonio Mango described him, is his speed.
From looking at the heatmaps of Brighton's two primary right-backs, Tariq Lamptey and Joël Veltman, it is clear that while Roberto De Zerbi likes to build out from the back, they do tend to venture forward fairly often, which means a rapid left-winger could exploit the space behind before firing a cross into the box or having a go themselves.
Therefore, it would make sense to start the player Havertz described as the fastest in the squad, ahead of the more technical but slower Trossard.
Arsenal must cash in on £30m ace who completed 100% of his passes vs Luton
It is clear that he has no future in North London.
ByJack Salveson HolmesApr 4, 2024
Ultimately, Arsenal will remain the favourites for this game regardless of who starts, but Arteta could help tip the scales further in his favour by starting Martinelli on the left.