Arsenal: 5 Aubameyang & Lacazette alternatives

5. Switching to a 3-4-3 Shape

Of all the outcomes, this feels the more likely to be used. Against a side bursting with quality, it’s vital to match their shape. Simplifying the game when forward options are limited will be crucial to trying to secure a positive result given the absences in the team.

With no Lacazette, Aubameyang or, crucially, Thomas Partey, it makes sense to throw in an additional central defender that allows the forwards to get closer to one another.

Who would play up top can vary depending on whether or not Saka is selected to play as a wing-back, and the same for Tierney. It’s an opportunity to move Tierney into left centre-back, take Pablo Mari out and bring back low-block specialist Rob Holding, while also adding pace into the front line to have an out-ball to aim for. How much would Arsenal miss his attacking output? Quite a lot, admittedly.

Emile Smith Rowe can take up a similar slot as he did in the reverse fixture last season and add creativity behind the striker to be supplemented by bombing wing-backs. It might even be the good game for Hector Bellerin to play, were he not effectively ostracised by Arteta when Nuno Tavares came on for Calum Chambers against Brentford.

And Tavares at left wing-back for this game would work to help Arsenal double up on Lukaku down that side, while allowing him to make those lung-bursting runs he favours. However Arteta feels this system will work, it seems inevitable that the 3-4-3 will be back in use. It needs to be.