3 Mikel Arteta calls could decide Arsenal’s road back to Wembley

After two weeks to regroup, recuperate and, for many, rest and recover, the most crucial part of Arsenal's season is about to begin. The Gunners could still have 15 matches to play throughout April and May, sat top of the Premier League table and through to the Champions League quarter-finals. Their quest for continental glory continues against Sporting CP at Estádio José Alvalade on Tuesday night.

Before then, on Easter Saturday, Arteta's team will travel to the South Coast for an FA Cup quarter-final against in-form Championship side Southampton. Having endured a miserable 2-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the EFL Cup Final last time out, Gooners everywhere will be hoping for a much more positive Wembley expirence in this competition, should they progress here first.

Predicting Arteta's team to take on the Saints is certainly tough. Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke are certainly sidelined, while nine more Arsenal players withdrew from international duty, namely Jurriën Timber, Piero Hincapié, Gabriel, William Saliba, Martín Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Leandro Trossard. Nevertheless, here are three key selection decisions facing the boss.

Ben White on the right

There has been plenty of Arsenal-centric discussion during the international break, but one player who does not often feature in the discourse is Ben White. In a move no one saw coming, he was recalled to the England setup by Thomas Tuchel, having not represented his country since a friendly against Côte d'Ivoire in March 2022.

Well, White came off the bench and scored against Uruguay last Friday night, before starting Tuesday's 1-0 defeat at the hands of Japan, replaced by Tino Livramento on the hour mark. His introduction, goal and withdrawal were all greeted by a chorus of boos, not that this will faze him very much.

At club level, after Timber picked up a knock against Everton, White started against both Bayer Leverkusen and in the EFL Cup Final, albeit it is clear he does not yet have 90 minutes in his legs. Nevertheless, even if the Dutchman is available, he should not be rushed back, given the hectic schedule ahead, hence why White must start against the club who released him as a 16 year old.

Does Arteta stick with his cup Kepa?

The major talking point following the Carabao Cup Final was Kepa Arrizabalaga's inclusion. The back-up goalkeeper dropped an absolute clanger that allowed Nico O'Reilly to break the deadlock from close-range, but that was not his biggest issue on the day. The 31 year old simply is not as good in possession as his compatriot, a weakness Pep Guardiola clearly recognised, with Arsenal finding it near-impossible to build out from the back all afternoon.

Kepa has started every FA Cup and EFL Cup match so far this season, but should that change? Well, having not been called up by Spain for three years, he will be fresh. David Raya meantime won his 12th international cap on Tuesday during la Roja's goalless draw with Egypt in Cornellà de Llobregat, a match overshadowed by the horrendous racist chanting by the home crowd in Catalonia.

Having started him at Wembley, it seems likely that Arteta will stick with Arrizabalaga at St Mary's too, even if supporters are fearful this could once again back fire. Should Arsenal progress and face Chelsea, Man City again or Liverpool in a semi-final, the clamour for Raya to return will be deafening.

Havertz or Gyökeres up front?

It has certainly been a productive international break for Arsenal's two main centre-forward options. Kai Havertz started both of Germany's friendlies, lasting over an hour against Switzerland at St. Jakob-Park, before converting a penalty against Ghana in Stuttgart, this was his final touch before being replaced by Lennart Karl at the interval. Given that he's played a miserly 524 club minutes this season due to injury, this semi-competitive action can surely only have been helpful.

Meanwhile, Viktor Gyökeres had a few days he will never forget, spearheading Sweden's charge to World Cup qualification. In the Blågult's play-off semi-final, the striker bagged a second international hat-trick as Graham Potter's team beat Ukraine 3-1 in Valencia. Then on Tuesday night, Gyökeres' last-gasp winner saw Sweden beat Poland 3-2 in a thriller in Stockholm, thereby sending his nation to America. If ever a player should have confidence coursing through their veins, it is him right now.

So, how does Arteta enhance this? Well, after Mikel Merino scored a hat-trick against Türkiye in September, he started against Nottingham Forest the following weekend, with Arteta saying "I want to use that when a player is in that moment...with a really high emotional state".

Thus, a similar principle should be applied, with Gyökeres hoping to carry his international form back to his club, both by the South Coast and then in Lisbon up against his former team on Tuesday. For Havertz, with Eze sidelined and Ødegaard a doubt, he may well continue in midfield, despite being pretty ineffective at Wembley, albeit this will be a very different assignment.