Arsenal vs Wolverhampton: 5 key players with nowhere to hide

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 01: Bernd Leno of Arsenal looks on during his warm up prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Fulham FC at Emirates Stadium on January 1, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 01: Bernd Leno of Arsenal looks on during his warm up prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Fulham FC at Emirates Stadium on January 1, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Henrikh Mkhitaryan
(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /

3. Henrikh Mkhitaryan

I think that Unai Emery is done using Mesut Ozil away from home. What that means for Ozil’s career is anyone’s guess, but it means that in these away matches, someone needs to step up and be the creative center.

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Aaron Ramsey was living up to that role, but now that he is injured, we have to look for other solutions, especially if we still want the option of starting Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

When Ramsey went down against Napoli, it was Henrikh Mkhitaryan who filled the void, and while he wasn’t his sharpest, I still believe that he has the ability to play that role and, even if Unai Emery doesn’t think so, Mkhitaryan still figures to get the start next to Alex Iwobi.

I still trust Mkhitaryan more than I do Iwobi in that duo, as Mkhitaryan is usually a pretty reliable source of chances, whereas Iwobi is more like a burst of chances every so often.

Needless to say, we are going to need to create a steady stream of chances. And we’re going to need to do it without Ozil and Ramsey. So give me Mkhitaryan.