Does Leandro Trossard deserve a start against Southampton?

Leandro Trossard is a huge reason why Arsenal are still top of the league, with his seven assists and a goal quickly making him a fan favourite since arriving in January. But, does he deserve a  start against Southampton?

When he signed, Trossard knew he was being brought in to add depth to the squad and compete with the front three, but Gabriel Jesus’ injury followed by Eddie Nketiah’s drop in form meant that he was given his chance, and he grabbed it with both hands.

Does Leandro Trossard deserve a start against Southampton?

After strong showings against Brentford, when he scored his only goal, and in Arsenal’s FA Cup defeat to Man City, Trossard started six of the next seven games, grabbing assists in every game bar one.

By the time Jesus returned for his first start against Leeds, Trossard was well ingrained in the starting XI, and although playing on the right wing, he very much looked at home with his teammates and provided a beautiful assist for Jesus to score his second of the game.

Since then, Trossard has found himself on the bench for the last two games, with Jesus’ goal-scoring continuing and Gabriel Martinelli grabbing two goals and an assist, taking him to seven goals and three assists in his last nine games.

Simply put, Martinelli is undroppable right now. He is Arsenal’s top goalscorer and most in-form player. Jesus, meanwhile, has also grabbed four goals in three starts. Again, undroppable.

The player whose form has dipped during this time is Bukayo Saka, who has two goals and an assist in his last six games and in four of those games he has completed 90 minutes.

For many, these numbers wouldn’t be a concern, but those goal contributions came in one game against Crystal Palace before the international break. Since then, his output has dried up and his performances have been significantly below his usual standard.

His penalty miss on Sunday compounded this drop in form, but Saka is an extremely strong-willed player who has a history of bouncing back, and it is worth noting that before this poor (ish) run, he had 19 goals and assists in 21 games.

The truth is, Trossard will feel hard done by, as his performances warrant a start, and in most other teams, he gets it. He was bright when he came on against West Ham, and one of few taking responsibility, but even he couldn’t spark an Arsenal revival.

It does leave Arteta with a big choice to make. Does he drop/rest Saka, and give Trossard a chance straight after he missed a penalty in a game Arsenal went on to draw, or does he let Saka go out and prove a point?

On form, Trossard deserves the nod, and perhaps a game on the bench would do Saka good and fire him up even further for Man City on Wednesday. But, does Arteta have faith his team can win without its star boy?

With that in mind, Saka will likely get the nod against Southampton, but Trossard will be snipping at the heels of the three starters, itching to impact the game.