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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta warned over selection issue after one surprise performance
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been warned over a potential selection issue he'll likely face next week.
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Arsenal were solid in their 3-0 win over Fulham on Saturday, but Mikel Arteta will be faced with a selection headache in the middle of the pitch because Mohamed Elneny isn’t going to be playing every week and the team’s style of play will change significantly when he is taken out of the side. That’s the opinion of ESPN pundit Gab Marcotti.
Arsenal battered newly-promoted Fulham in the opening game of their Premier League campaign on Saturday.
New signing Willian provided three assists as Arteta’s side dominated proceedings at Craven Cottage.
Elneny was handed a rare start after returning from loan at Roma, and gave a solid showing as he sprayed passes around from the middle of the park.
His start came as a surprise to many, as it didn’t appear he had much of a future under Arteta going into the new season.
The Egyptian was reportedly one of the players Arteta had put up for sale as he eyed a move for Thomas Partey.
And Marcotti warned on ESPN FC that the Spanish boss will face difficulties with his team selection next week, because he’ll more than likely replace Elneny with new loan signing Ceballos.
The Spanish midfielder is more of an advanced playmaker than Elneny, and will likely play slightly further up the pitch.
Marcotti explained that despite Arsenal’s solid performance over Fulham, their team and style of play next week against West Ham will be drastically different.
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“They looked really impressive, and they’re building on what they showed before,” he said.
“But today they had Elneny starting in midfield.
“Very few people expected that in the summer, they thought he was going to be sold or loaned out again.
“We assume Elneny isn’t going to start through the whole year.
“But already, whoever starts the next game whether it’s Dani Ceballos or not, it’s going to be different.
“Dani Ceballos is a very different player from Elneny.
“There was also no Saka, no Martinelli, no Pepe, so I think Arsenal are still very much a work in progress.
“That's why it’s risky to draw any deep conclusions from the game against Fulham.”
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