Arsenal: 3 things we’d like to see in EFL Cup vs Leeds

There is no rest for the wicked with Arsenal back in action on Tuesday as they prepare to face Leeds United in the EFL Cup round of 16. It will be their third straight home fixture and third in eight days.

Who needs European football, eh? The midweeks are being filled up with domestic up action instead as the Gunners’ first all-Premier League tie of the competition so far has coughed up a cracker.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side head to the Emirates in with just one win in their previous eight matches (discounting penalty shootout success over Fulham because it has more impact that way) whereas Mikel Arteta’s side are unbeaten in their last seven, winning five.

The 3-1 win over Aston Villa was the most complete performance of the season and with momentum firmly on their side it will be interesting to see how strong the manager goes with his starting lineup.

3 things we’d like to see from Arteta’s Arsenal in their Carabao Cup round of 16 clash with Leeds United on Tuesday night

With a team in the league all-but set in stone every week with a first choice back five and a near immovable front four, this fixture comes around as a huge opportunity for most.

A balance between competitiveness while also handing minutes to those in need has to be struck, as the bottom line is that this competition may prove to be Arsenal’s best chance of lifting silverware this season.

The FA Cup doesn’t kick off for the club until 2022, while you could be holding this trophy aloft before March has even began.

Nobody would be adverse to another Wembley showpiece, not least in a competition where Arsenal have lost their previous three finals, so what do we want to see from the team that could push them one step closer?

1. Intensity Matched Despite the Rotation

Arteta could stump everyone on Tuesday and field a near identical lineup from the Villa win. With three full days of preparation for this match and another three to follow before Leicester, he may see the additional matches as exactly what is needed.

Not for everyone though, surely, as players like Alexandre Lacazette have been seen cramping up which indicates that lack of minutes over the season is taking its toll. It could be a slower process for some.

There will be rotation across the team, and the focus has to be on coming as close to replicating the intensity levels that saw Arsenal blow Villa away for 60 minutes.

It will be a tough game against a Leeds side who play with a different system and attacking approach, which while will cough up new hurdles, is actually even more reason to play high energy football. No team in the division runs more than Leeds do.

While those numbers have done little to aid their standing in the league table, injuries have played their part for Bielsa. Yet it doesn’t matter what team he puts out as the non-negotiables remain the same. Fail to match their energy levels and you already limit your chances of success.

All those on the periphery for Arsenal will have seen the Villa display and understood what is required to be knocking on the first team door. Players like Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Nicolas Pepe have to be looking at the Friday just past realising nothing less will suffice.

Continued…

2. Leadership in the Absence of Regular Leaders

While there is plenty to ponder in terms of team selection, most centred on who doesn’t play as opposed to who does.

The overwhelming likelihood is that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Thomas Partey, Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale and the two Hale End stars will be left out of the starting lineup, as may Lacazette having pulled up with cramp against Villa.

In their places, especially in forward areas, there will be very youthful options instead and in a match such as this where the opposition’s system will call for constant focus, someone will need to step up, lead and organise.

Bernd Leno in goal will have to demonstrate that, as will Rob Holding who looks set to come in, and perhaps even Mohamed Elneny if he’s selected in midfield.

But then there are the likes of Nicolas Pepe, among the more senior players, who will have to be more vocal. The Ivorian is simply not that kind of character but if he’s in a front line featuring Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli then he may well have to.

There are a host of players who will be looking to make an impression on Tuesday having found themselves in the fringes this season, and even if their hopes of breaking the first team mould are slim, their chances will come and they need to put themselves in the shop window when opportunity arises.

Some leadership, in whatever form it may come in, has to be on show in what could be a heavily rotated side without a number of the usual suspects.

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3. Martin Odegaard Taking Responsibility – In His Best Position

The situation with Odegaard at the moment works both ways: he hasn’t been at his fluid best, just as systematically he’s been hindered.

For someone who thrives in the right half-spaces, being asked to play on the left in a double pivot and emulate Granit Xhaka by shifting out to cover for his full-back is not how you get the most out of Odegaard.

He is someone who should see most of the ball in the team, which is why he needs to be playing in the No. 10 role where he can drift into the pockets of space when he can bind everyone together. His best performance of the season came against Tottenham when he played there. There is no doubting it is where he’s best suited.

That isn’t to say he completely without fault. As witnessed against both Brighton and Crystal Palace, his touch was left back on the team bus. Someone known for being silky in possession, boasting an adept touch and effortlessly able to pass a ball onto a penny, all of those have been absent from his game.

When he’s not involved he is guilty of drifting out of view even further, and putting him in a deeper midfield slot where off the ball he struggles to find the right positions isn’t helping his case.

Against Leeds there should be a return the No. 10 position for him with a double pivot in behind. When a player is looking slightly off the pace or struggling for influence, they need to be restored to factory settings. Odegaard’s bread and butter is in that position.