40% duels won, 10x possession lost: Arteta must now drop £21m Arsenal star vs Brighton after 3/10 display
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has to contemplate a change on the left wing when the Gunners take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
The Gunners have secured back-to-back league wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. They are currently top of the standings with a five-point lead over Manchester City.
Arsenal will aim to preserve the advantage when they face the Seagulls at the Amex Stadium. Ahead of the game, we believe the manager must drop Leandro Trossard from the XI.
The Belgium international had a good first half to the season with the Gunners, but his form has been hugely inconsistent since the turn of the year in every competition.
Trossard has 15 goal involvements for the Gunners this campaign, but only two of those have come in 2026. He has not made any contribution in his previous five appearances.
Against Chelsea yesterday, the £21 million signing won just four out of 10 duels (40 percent) and was guilty of losing possession 10 times, while committing an error leading to a shot.
Trossard received a 3/10 rating from Goal.com for his lacklustre showing.
Unsurprisingly, he was replaced by Gabriel Martinelli after just 56 minutes.
Martinelli did not make a goal contribution either, but his pace on the counter-attack brought a different dimension to the derby.
His quick run down the left flank contributed to Pedro Neto’s sending off for a second yellow card.
In our view, Arteta must contemplate a change on the left flank. Trossard has been pretty average in the last two London derbies. Martinelli could get a starting berth on Wednesday.
Noni Madueke may not be a solution as he is a specialist on the right wing. Eberechi Eze could be tried as a left winger if Kai Havertz or Martin Odegaard slot into the number 10 position.
Odegaard was absent against Chelsea as he was not fully comfortable after his knee issue at Brentford. The club captain could be back in the squad to take on Brighton away from home.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
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