Arsenal Vs Chelsea: Reiss Nelson the curveball to start?

Arsenal host Chelsea on Wednesday night needing to win to keep their top-four hopes alive. Should Arsene Wenger throw a curveball and start Reiss Nelson?

The Premier League is arguably the biggest league in the world and by far the most competitive. Thus, any team is a challenge and there is no such thing as an “upset” anymore. However, this season, Manchester City are looking like probable champions, having not lost a game all year. The only places of contention, then, is in the relegation zone and the other three Champions League spots.

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Currently, Arsenal are six points behind fourth-placed Liverpool with a game in hand. It is a gap that has widened during the festive period, with the Gunners’ rivals putting together a strong run of recent form. But now they face Chelsea, at the Emirates. A chance, perhaps, to haul their way back into the race for the Champions League qualification places.

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There is no need to emphasise how important this game is to the season. In this game, I suspect that Arsene Wenger will play a 4-2-3-1, instead of a 3-4-3, due to the shocking performance at West Brom and the injury to Aaron Ramsey, who has excelled in a pivoting role which hasn’t been completely replicated by Jack Wilshere during his absence.

On the right-hand side, Alex Iwobi has looked very suspect, both offensively and defensively. The young Nigerian may have steered his team to the World Cup in Russia. But on domestic fronts, he has struggled, especially recently, scoring just one goal in his last 12 appearances.

Maybe his poor performance at West Brom was the straw that broke the camel’s back, with a crucial chance being missed that could have put Arsenal ahead. Such a lack of quality will surely affect the team when facing a much more ruthless and clinical side like Chelsea. They do not take prisoners lightly. The same wasteful mistakes will be punished.

In Iwobi’s defense, however, he is not a winger. And this is where the crux of the issue lies. His positional tendencies, that see him drift into central areas, restrict the natural width of the team, thus, contracting the space that the attack has to work in. It was painfully evident against West Brom. But while Iwobi may not be a natural winger, Reiss Nelson is.

With the disappearance of Theo Walcott, Nelson is probably the only other winger who could play on the right flank. He has been effective in the U-23 side, the Carabao cup side, and the Europa League side, has shown his tricky, explosive, pacy ability, can cross a ball, which is something that is drastically lacking in the starting side currently, and, best of all, is hungry for a start.

There is a precedent that players set themselves when they face a bigger challenge or a larger stage in the form of a player debut. You only need to look as far as Eddie Nketiah against Norwich City earlier this season.

Next: Arsenal Vs Chelsea: Predicted starting XI

So please, Arsene, pick Nelson and play him in the right position. What have you got to lose?

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