Arsenal Vs Brentford: Emile Smith Rowe’s surge continues

Arsenal host Brentford in the third round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night. It is another opportunity for the Emile Smith Rowe surge to continue.

Arsenal’s EFL Cup campaign gets underway on Wednesday night. The competition, like the early matches of the Europa League and FA Cup, offer Unai Emery a chance to rotate his squad and provide playing opportunities to those that are less likely to feature in the Premier League.

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It is something that Emery has already conceded he will do in his pre-match press conference. Emery wants to give long looks to younger and reserve players in matches that carry less significance, to further evaluate his squad, provide competition for those in the starting XI, and to aid the development of many of the talented prospects that he has at his disposal.

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One such talent is Emile Smith Rowe, who is expected to start when Brentford come to the Emirates on Wednesday. The young midfielder, who shone in the preseason and has displayed a rare natural flair for the game unlike anything that has been seen out of the Arsenal academy since Jack Wilshere, is highly considered by Emery and is very much seen as one of the pivotal around which the future of the team will be built.

His surge into the limelight started in the summer. His performances for the under 18s were often notable and his name has been well-known in Arsenal circles for some time. But it was not until Emery’s first preseason that Smith Rowe got the chance to display his talent on the senior stage. And boy did he take it!

Smith Rowe was bright throughout the preseason, showing great understanding and creativity, scored a truly phenomenal goal against Atletico Madrid, and firmly established himself as an individual that Emery was preparing to pour into and develop this season. He made his first competitive appearance for the club a week ago against FC Vorksla. This will be his full debut, should he start as anticipated.

It will be fascinating to see how the clever midfielder handles the senior game. Brentford are a very capable Championship team. They play excellent football, know how to get results, and have the experience and know-how far beyond what Smith Rowe has ever played against.

How will he deal with more capable, nuanced defenders? Can his natural talent shine through on the biggest stage of his career up to this point? Will he play with confidence and freedom or will he tighten up as many young players have done in the past?

These are all questions that will be answered over the course of the 90 minutes. But one thing that is for sure is that Smith Rowe’s surge continues, and that is very exciting indeed.