Arsenal icon Tony Adams wants Mikel Arteta to axe Oleksandr Zinchenko to start Takehiro Tomiyasu at left-back against Manchester City. He also believes it is not a must-win match.
The Gunners welcome their Premier League title rivals to Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night. Arteta’s team can create a six-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s squad with a win and still hold a game in hand. But a Citizens win will move the Etihad Stadium natives into first.
Manchester City have an edge on Arsenal on goal difference at +34 to +28 after 22 and 21 games. But Adams believes Arteta does not have to ‘throw caution to the wind’ as it is not a ‘cup final’. Even if Arsenal’s chance to move six points clear will be a ‘massive incentive’.
Adams senses the win can be there for Arsenal’s taking if they exploit a ‘weakness’ in the Manchester City team, though. He believes Guardiola’s squad is weakest on the left-hand side. So, Arteta should utilise Tomiyasu at left-back to then overload the Citizens’ backline.
Arteta has already used Tomiyasu at left-back this term to see Arsenal beat Liverpool. The 24-year-old started his first Premier League game this term to silence Mohamed Salah in October. He also came off the bench to hinder Manchester United star Marcus Rashford.
Adams wants Arteta to axe Zinchenko so Arsenal start Tomiyasu vs Manchester City
Arteta started Tomiyasu against Liverpool as Zinchenko, who left Manchester City last July for £32m, had a calf injury. The Arsenal boss also trusted his £15.5m signing from Bologna in August 2021 with constraining Rashford after Ben White initially struggled at right-back.
Salah barely had a sniff as Tomiyasu refused to let the Liverpool forward cut inside onto his favoured left foot. Arsenal will now face a similar threat to the Egypt international in Riyad Mahrez on Wednesday. They both like to move in from the wing to attempt efforts at goal.
So, Adams believes Arteta should now axe Zinchenko to start Tomiyasu when Arsenal host Manchester City to silence Mahrez. The Algeria star has scored five and assisted four goals in 17 league games this term. He has also provided four of each over his past seven games.
“When they beat Liverpool earlier this season, Arteta played Takehiro Tomiyasu at left-back and it was a genius move because he just sat on Mo Salah and completely cut out that threat,” Adams wrote in a column for The Sun.
“It was the same in the 3-2 win against Manchester United last month, when Tomi replaced Ben White at half-time and stopped Marcus Rashford in his tracks.
“So, I would play Tomi at left-back instead of Oleksandr Zinchenko to take care of Mahrez, because then Arsenal would have enough in midfield and upfront [to] exploit City’s weakness on the left of their defence and turn them over.”
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