Arsenal vs Wolverhampton: 5 key players with nowhere to hide

4. Ainsley Maitland-Niles

You may notice a theme in the key players list. That theme being that it is made almost entirely of players that were absent against Crystal Palace. There’s a reason for that. Because there were some key things lacking against Palace. In case you needed that reminder.

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Carl Jenkinson was not a good presence against Palace, and really struggled to keep up with the pace of the match. No from lack of effort, but from a lack of skill. He just doesn’t replicate what Ainsley Maitland-Niles can do, especially now that Maitland-Niles has learned to defend so much better, seemingly in the span of a couple months.

Maitland-Niles is doubly important because Sead Kolasinac has not been as reliable as he has been for literally the entire earlier part of the season. Meaning that the creation that Maitland-Niles provides is such a crucial part of any match. Not least of all because he provides such a valuable outlet to the midfield.

We need that presence back on the right side. Since the left-hand side has been far from locked down lately, winning the other side of the pitch can make all the difference.

Next up, No. 3.