Mikel Arteta has been presented with an opportunity to experiment with a major tactical tweak as Arsenal gear up for the return of Premier League football.
The Gunners are ditching the freezing cold temperatures of north London for the hotter climate of Abu Dhabi with games against Lyon and AC Milan in the Dubai Super Cup in the next 10 days before returning home to complete their preparations against Juventus at the Emirates Stadium on December 17
And on Sunday afternoon, a 27-man squad for the trip was revealed with a couple of headlines created. One is the inclusion of Emile Smith Rowe after two months on the sidelines following groin surgery and Mikel Arteta naming as many as 13 youngsters to fill in the gaps in the squad as so many first-team players are, or have been, in Qatar for the World Cup.
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As expected, Eddie Nketiah - who scored in Saturday's 4-2 behind-closed-doors friendly defeat at the hands of Watford - has made the trip, but it's rather interesting that he's the only recognised centre-forward in the entire squad as youngster Khayon Edwards wasn't included.
This comes after football.london learned that Gabriel Jesus is set for a spell on the sidelines due to a knee problem that has ended his World Cup. Whilst it was initially understood that the 25-year-old could be back in action in January, some reports suggest the Brazil international won't be available again until March at the earliest.
Whatever the situation is, Arteta has to plan for games against West Ham United and Brighton, at the very least, without the services of his first-choice striker. Of course, in Nketiah, the Gunners manager has the ideal replacement waiting in the wings, but it's not clear who will provide cover for the Hale End graduate.
Though against the Hornets, youngster Amario Cozier-Duberry replaced Nketiah at half-time, he's naturally a winger just like Nathan Butler-Oyedeji and Sagoe Jr and it seems unlikely he will be in contention to replace Jesus in Arsenal's matchday squads when the Premier League season resumes from Boxing Day.
With that said, the absence of another natural centre-forward in the Dubai training camp and Super Cup squad points towards Arteta experimenting with a few alternatives over the next week and a half as all of a sudden, no risks can be taken with Nketiah as the only fit and available senior striker at the moment.
Or it could be that Emile Smith Rowe's squad inclusion has come at the perfect time.
Whilst the 22-year-old usually operates on the left flank or behind the striker, he has previously been tipped for a new role as a centre-forward by his own manager: "He can play as a left winger, he can play as a left attacking midfielder, right attacking midfielder and he can play as a nine — very, very well I think," Arteta said.
These comments, at the time, were something of a surprise given the Spaniard experimented with Smith Rowe as a false nine in the Europa League semi-final first-leg against Villarreal during the 2020/21 campaign and it backfired. Furthermore, the Arsenal manager resisted the temptation to repeat the trick last season even after allowing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to leave in the January transfer window.
But with the Gunners expected to be short of a striker when the Premier League resumes later this month, the fact that Arteta clearly feels Smith Rowe has the quality to lead the line for the Gunners might be a hint with regards to Jesus' replacement - even if it's a temporary measure.
However, it's worth keeping the attacking midfielder's fitness in mind. He's not featured since the beginning of September against Manchester United, he underwent groin surgery later that month so a lack of match sharpness will be a factor, although he is targeting the West Ham game for his return to competitive action.
"Hopefully [I'll be back] by the first game after the World Cup," he said. "I'm back on the pitch, it's going well. I think it's going really well at the moment I am really happy for the team. But, sometimes it's annoying when I can't be involved and on the pitch with my teammates. But, it is still amazing to see them do well and I can't wait to get back."
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