Arsenal: 4 reasons to be hopeful vs Norwich

3. A Thomas Partey & Sambi Lokonga Double Pivot

Not having Granit Xhaka available for three matches is, in many peoples’ eyes, the only positive to draw from the 5-0 drubbing last time out.

That stupid, inexcusable act was a classic ‘Xhaka seeing red’ moment, with the result of that being another chance for Sambi Lokonga to continue his impressive start to life as an Arsenal player.

Looking sharp in pre-season and carrying that into the Premier League where his delightful range of pass, press resistance and positive approach have been on show, the thought of seeing that alongside Thomas Partey is possibly the cause for most excitement against Norwich.

Considered similar in terms of style and profile, if they complement each other it could be the springboard for a more dynamic midfield going forward. Or, at least, for the three matches Xhaka is unavailable.

Sambi’s defensive frailties and awareness of runners needs fine-tuning to meet the demands of the Premier League and given these are areas where Partey excels, the scope is there for the Belgian to play the slightly more advanced role in the double pivot.

That is, of course, so long as Mohamed Elneny doesn’t recover from his recent knock and Arteta subsequently causes the entirety of north London to groan.

Please don’t do that.