Arsenal set for incredibly proud and special occasion

The selfish side of being any football fan, not just Arsenal, is the desire for all the players at your club to be world class talents who just so happen to be from countries without national teams. That would be the ideal.

Of course, being quality footballers usually does entail international recognition, which Arsenal are finding out as Emile Smith Rowe became the 50th different player from the club to represent England when he came on as a second half substitute against Albania.

A momentous occasion for him and his family, as well as an incredibly proud moment for Gooners all around the world, it might actually get even better for the 21-year-old after some further shuffling in the England camp.

Smith Rowe already got handed a big opportunity to make his debut when the likes of Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount and Jadon Sancho were not involved in Gareth Southgate’s squad, but further changes have been made since the 5-0 win.

Arsenal set for incredibly proud and special occasion with Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka handed huge selection boost vs San Marino

As well as the forwards already missing out, Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling have also dropped out for injury and personal reasons respectively. They join Jordan Henderson in leaving the camp, with Conor Gallagher jumping up from the Under-21 side to earn his first senior call-up.

Crunching some numbers makes for exciting viewing for a certain pair of Arsenal players.

With the options in forward areas dwindling dramatically, the only two natural wide players left in the squad are Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka. Phil Foden can operate out on the left, as he did against Albania in the 3-4-3 shape, but he could very well be rested or played as a No. 8 should Southgate opt for an attack-minded 4-3-3.

There is now a very real chance that Saka and Smith Rowe could both be handed starts together for England. There are precious few options to play on the left and the right, meaning a very special day in the Arsenal calendar could be on the horizon.

Of course, it is ‘only’ San Marino, the worst ranked team in world football. But that is irrelevant. It’s still an international fixture, one Smith Rowe will be looking at as a chance to get his first goal involvement in. There are some stats waiting to be padded.

How about Aaron Ramsdale? Well, based off of the squad numbers handed out against Albania, it looks like Sam Johnstone remains second in line behind Jordan Pickford, which is utterly baffling: one plays in the Championship while the other is in the best form of his life in the Premier League.

Johnstone was No. 13 with Ramsdale handed the No. 22 jersey. It might not mean anything, but the higher number usually denotes the player’s standing in the pecking order.

He may play, but Saka and Smith Rowe look certain to play in some capacity. What a special moment that will be with both on the pitch in England white.