Arsenal vs Norwich City: Is it time to give Dinos Mavropanos a spin?

Freddie Ljungberg has a chance to make a splash for Arsenal against Norwich City, but is it in his wheelhouse to give Konstantinos Mavropanos a spin?

Here’s a fun fact about me—I’m tired of seeing Sokratis on the pitch. Just tired of it. I admire the guy, and all of his grit and strength. That’s all wonderful. But I’m just tired of it. Arsenal need a defensive shake-up and Unai Emery was finally starting to dip his toe into the water of doing something about it.

It took the form of a back three with Calum Chambers, David Luiz and Rob Holding. Honestly, not my favorite, but it was something, and it didn’t have Sokratis, so I was for it. It sure as hell beat the alternative.

With Unai Emery now gone, it’s Freddie Ljungberg‘s chance to continue the necessary repairs on defense, and he could make a massive first impression by swapping out a healthy Sokratis for a Konstantinos Mavropanos finally return to full fitness.

It may sound crazy, but at this point, nothing should be considered crazy. This is a team in need of repairs, and I think I’m justified in thinking that we have the tools necessary to try to make wholesome repairs, we just need a manager willing to utilize them.

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Dinos has proven how capable he is as a defender, he just hasn’t been able to stay healthy. And maybe you would prefer to give him a start next to someone like David Luiz, but as the former manager of our U23s, Ljungberg will be more than familiar with Dinos’ abilities and as fans, we shouldn’t be so quick to forget how good he was when Arsene Wenger gave him his first chance in the starting XI next to Calum Chambers, who is going to be his centerback mate should Ljungberg pull the surprise card.

Not just that, but it wasn’t that long ago that Sokratis said in an interview that Dinos was the better player. As countrymen, they have a solid chemistry and I can’t imagine Sokratis would be too bummed about seeing the youngster step in front of him. It’s an inevitability at some point anyway.

This may be a “risk,” but it’s a calculated risk. This entire defense is a risk on a regular basis, so why not put the risk in the hands of eager and proven youngsters rather than the same old faces?