Arsenal Wait for Major Squad Boost Ahead of Manchester City Clash

Some players’ names are certainties each match.

In the Premier League discussion, when a manager chooses his starting lineup, some players are pre-printed on the sheet before they even fill in the rest. Arsenal have a few, and Kieran Tierney is one of them.

While the above isn’t the actual process for selecting the starting lineup, it does attempt to amplify just how vital our Scottish left-back is.

As Arsenal prepare to head to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening – the sight of their last win away at a ‘big six’ side some 70 months ago – much of the talk centres around new signing Thomas Partey. While he looks set to get the nod against Manchester City, even though he won’t be all too familiar with Tierney, you can bet your bottom dollar he’ll wish he was alongside come 17:30.

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Yet as it is, Mikel Arteta will need to contend with facing off against his former tutor without a key member of his squad.

An appeal has been launched to allow Tierney to play, who has been told he must isolate for 14 days by the Scottish Football Association having been in contact with Stuart Armstrong, who tested positive for COVID-19. This despite the 23-year-old adhering to social distancing rules and producing three negative tests.

The Atheltic’s James McNicholas has offered his assessment of the situation on the Arsecast podcast, stating he’s positive, albeit without genuine basis, that Arsenal will receive some good news this week:

"“I think – and it’s only a hunch – that Arsenal will manage to get around it, just because if the Premier League rules say he only has to isolate for a week, then I guess they are the rules, whatever the SFA say.”"

In terms of how Arteta could combat the full-back’s absence, there are options. One such avenue may be without Sead Kolasinac, who picked up a knock during international duty and may also be unavailable.

If that is the case, then the likely outcome will be with Gabriel Magalhaes on the left side of a back three, with David Luiz and Rob Holding alongside him. In this setup, Ainsley Maitland-Niles may assume left wing-back duties. Whether to go for Bukayo Saka or Maitland-Niles in the position will depend on Arteta’s approach.

Where Maitland-Niles lacks in the final third he makes up for in first, while Saka’s creativity and flair in forward positions comes with the caveat of inferior defensive discipline and positioning. Someone who loves to pick up space has a tendency to do the same at both ends of the pitch, purely out of habit. He can lose his man too easily.

There is confidence in whoever comes in, but neither are Tierney. Gabriel, as good as he’s been, is untested against such high quality opposition, even if he kept Mohamed Salah silent at Anfield.

The team as a whole will be distinctly more confident if the humble plastic bag hero is given the green light to play, but we mustn’t rest on our laurels if he isn’t. However, victory, or even a draw, is more achievable with him. Positive news better come soon, though; he needs to get on the training pitch.