Mikel Arteta is likely to return to a four-at-the-back defence when Arsenal host Norwich City, according to The Athletic, which should see Calum Chambers axed from the line-up.
The Gunners turned to a three-man line away to defending Premier League title-holders Manchester City before the international break. But the change failed to prove beneficial, as the north Londoner’s torrid start to the season continued with another defeat.
Arsenal are yet to take a single point or score a goal in the top-flight this term, to sit rock bottom of the table. Although Arteta has been unable to field potentially his first-choice central defensive pairing of Gabriel Magalhaes with £50m summer signing Ben White.
Norwich could mark the first time that Arteta is able to field Gabriel and White in the same Arsenal line-up. Gabriel missed the start of the season due to a knee injury sustained while competing at the Olympics with Brazil. While after starting at Brentford, White then missed defeats to Chelsea and Manchester City after testing positive for coronavirus.
With both likely to be available for Arsenal against Norwich, Arteta is expected to return to his preferred four-at-the-back system. Kieran Tierney is the obvious choice to start at left-back, but the Spaniard faces a decision over his right-back.
After loaning Hector Bellerin to Real Betis, Cedric and Chambers were the only options at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal have since added Takehiro Tomiyasu from Bologna, but the £15.5m addition is yet to arrive in north London. He joined the Japan squad straight after his Deadline Day move, and Arteta may be reluctant to throw the defender in right away.
Arteta should axe Chambers in return to four-at-the-back at Arsenal
With Arteta expected to return Arsenal to a four-at-the-back system against Norwich, the Spaniard should axe Chambers from his line-up. It would leave a decision over Cedric or Tomiyasu featuring at right-back, with Gabriel and White likely starting centrally.
Chambers opened the Gunners’ curtain-raising loss to Brentford at full-back, but delivered a disappointing performance away to the newly-promoted side. The 26-year-old gave Sergi Canos too much time and space to cut inside and open the scoring. Christian Norgaard also caught the three-cap England international ball-watching to net the Bees’ second.
Arteta saw enough from the £50k-a-week defender’s display to omit Chambers from the Arsenal line-up against Chelsea. But Pablo Mari struggled while stepping in during White’s absence, for Chambers to return against Manchester City in a three-at-the-back.
Yet Chambers was below par at the Etihad Stadium, which cost Arsenal in their 5-0 defeat. Ilkay Gundogan – like Norgaard – caught the former Southampton defender ball watching, as he again struggled in the air. If Arteta now wants to start Gabriel and White together at home to Norwich, he must also look beyond Chambers for Arsenal’s right-back selection.
A position that Chambers – unlike against Brentford – impressed many last season, with Ian Wright praising his displays there in March. He said, via the Metro: “The Burnley game he was brilliant, same thing with this game [against West Ham]. He’s come in, he’s staking a claim, that’s what Arsenal need. They need that kind of player in the back-up position, who will come in and do a job like that, brilliant today.”
But Chambers’ 2021/22 efforts, so far, should see that Arteta returns the Arsenal defender to a back-up status against Norwich. Especially with the Spaniard intending to refresh his backline for the fourth game running at home to the Canaries.
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