3 ways Arsenal can break down the Sheffield United defence

3. Make Eddie Nketiah the offensive foil

If only we had Gabriel Jesus available for this match…

On Friday, Mikel Arteta revealed that Jesus will (again) be sidelined for “a few weeks” following an injury he picked up in Seville, and Eddie Nketiah could therefore reprise his starting role this weekend.

There are several ways Nketiah can influence the game as our striker, with his link-up/hold-up play, physical strength and ability to wriggle away from challenges all important attributes to have when dropping into midfield against touch-tight opponents.

However, as part of a front three, he might also make a difference by drifting out wide to create three-on-one situations with our wingers and thereby allowing Gabriel Martinelli or Bukayo Saka to get away from their markers. Alternatively, our wingers’ own tendencies to draw defenders out may create space for Nketiah himself to run in behind from deep.

Each of these options form part of a varied collective approach that will leave Sheffield United second-guessing and, although he has many critics, Nketiah is best suited for taking advantage.