Arsenal vs Blackpool: 5 key players to kickstart FA Cup campaign

1. Eddie Nketiah

Unfortunately, I am rather optimistically sticking Eddie Nketiah here, as I don’t think he will actually start as the lone striker. With Alexandre Lacazette so starved for playing time and a week lay-off after this Blackpool match, chances are the Frenchman will get his chance to play a full match and score some goals before returning to action the next week.

That said, it really is quite important that we start identifying a solution to the Danny Welbeck problem. There have been matches thus far into the year where I wished we had Welbeck. His drive and determination late in games is such a weapon, and we are truly missing out on it now.

Nketiah can solve that if we give him the chance to. Only has hasn’t really had that chance this year. A few League Cup and Europa League appearances have shown that he is maturing as a player, but he still hasn’t been trusted with the job.

He also hasn’t scored. Which, knowing Nketiah, is rather uncharacteristic, and it’s past time now that he started pounding them home.

The FA Cup should be entrusted to Nketiah. Maybe keep Lacazette in waiting if things go awry, but there’s no reason why Nketiah can’t carry the load in this one.