Arsenal welcome Leicester Metropolis to the Emirates Stadium for his or her first residence sport of the Premier League season on Saturday afternoon.
Solely the division’s high two had a greater residence document than Arsenal final season, because the Gunners took 41 factors from their 19 video games, the membership’s finest return since Unai Emery’s debut marketing campaign on the helm.
This is the XI Mikel Arteta could deploy to start bettering final season’s exploits.
GK: Aaron Ramsdale – One can solely think about the expletive-ridden muttering Ramsdale’s father could have produced whereas watching his son endure an uncharacteristically erratic efficiency with the ball at his toes final weekend.
RB: Ben White – Arsenal’s main blocker final season picked up from the place he left off this time period, hauling his body in the best way a division-high 5 occasions towards Crystal Palace.
CB: William Saliba – Hailed as “one of the best” by his centre-back companion after a commanding Premier League debut.
CB: Gabriel Magalhaes – One in all three Brazilian Gabriels in Arsenal’s squad.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko – The previous Manchester Metropolis fullback was a part of each groups that knocked Leicester out of the League Cup quarter-finals on penalties in successive seasons.
CM: Thomas Partey – Half of Partey’s profession Premier League aim haul (one among two) was plundered the final time Leicester travelled to the Emirates Stadium.
CM: Granit Xhaka – Solely Bukayo Saka has performed extra minutes for Arsenal below the present supervisor than the Swiss chief, who admits: “Arteta is the rationale why I am nonetheless at this soccer membership.”
AM: Martin Odegaard – The younger Norwegian will change into the fourth completely different everlasting captain to steer Arsenal out on the Emirates within the final 4 years.
RW: Bukayo Saka – Regardless of being one among solely three gamers to rack up double digits for touches within the opposition penalty space throughout the Premier League’s opening weekend (per FBref), Saka needed to accept forcing an personal aim.
ST: Gabriel Jesus – Paradoxically, Arsenal (11) are the one workforce Jesus has overwhelmed extra typically than Leicester (9), although he does boast a 100% document towards the Foxes.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli – It took Martinelli till the ultimate week of November to open his Premier League scoring account final season. This time period he – and Arsenal – had been off and working inside 20 minutes.
