Arsenal Vs Ostersund: Danny Welbeck’s last chance to plead his case

Arsenal are set to face Ostersund FK in the Europa League on Thursday with only one senior striker available. It may be Danny Welbeck’s last chance to reappear as the Gunners’ main number nine.

Arsenal are not short of world-class striking talents. The likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette arrived at the club this season, while Olivier Giroud and makeshift striker Alexis Sanchez went the opposite way. Even with such departures, the Gunners were left with three senior natural strikers and a young Eddie Nketiah.

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Whilst Gabonese striker Aubameyang is unable to play in the Europa League due to former club Borrusia Dortmund being dropped into Europe’s second tier from the Champions League, that would leave Lacazette as the sensible choice to lead the line in the competition. Or not, as it were to be.

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The unfortunate and devastating knee injury to the Frenchman could not have come at a worse time. Confidence was low after missing two good opportunities against Spurs last weekend to gain a much needed point, and goals haven’t come as regularly as he’d have liked. So, with a chance to regain his confidence and redeem himself from the horrendous misses, a presentable opportunity to score goals against a much smaller Swedish side would have been his dream. Contingencies must be made: In steps Danny Welbeck.

It is most likely that Welbeck will lead the line against FK Ostersund. Whilst many fans have been calling for the exciting Nketiah to start as they see his natural talent and ability, we shouldn’t overlook the fact that Welbeck would be the more risk free choice. Despite being criticized for not scoring enough, Welbeck is much more experienced than Nketiah and should hopefully do well against a Swedish side that are yet to start their season and could be caught short of match sharpness.

Whilst I myself have been very critical of Welbeck and his finishing, I do believe this may be his last chance to win me and many others over again. Too often, Arsenal have relied on Welbeck leading the line and have put their hopes in the England International to score critical goals in vital games. It is all too rare that he succeeds.

Welbeck’s goal scoring stats haven’t been good at all. He has never scored more than eight goals in all competitions in the three and a half years spent at Arsenal, and has only notched five goals this season in all competitions in 23 appearances (12 substitute appearances).

Welbeck must grasp this opportunity. It’s his last chance to avoid being left in the shadows of being the main man at Arsenal and win over the fans once again. Opportunities for him may be very hard to come buy when the likes of Lacazette and Aubameyang are playing, and while he can operate out wide, it is certainly not his most natural position and is a area of the squad that Wenger has many options already.

Next: Arsenal Vs Ostersunds: 3 ways to get around Lacazette injury

The standing of Welbeck in this current iteration of the squad is difficult to decipher. It feels as though he should be doing more than he is. Well, now he has a chance to. It may be his last one.