Arsenal just can’t catch a break this season.
Mikel Arteta has already lost Kai Havertz, William Saliba, Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Piero Hincapie and others to injury since the start of the campaign.
The latest name on that list now is Noni Madueke, who looks set to miss up to eight weeks of action due to a knee injury.
So, with a League Cup clash against Port Vale tonight, the manager needs to decide who’s going to replace him, and we don’t think it should be Saka.
Arsenal's recent League Cup form
It would be fair to say that, since taking over at Arsenal, Arteta has not had a great time in the League Cup.
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In his first stab at the competition, the side fell to a humbling 4-1 home defeat at the hands of eventual winner Manchester City.
Things actually improved the following season, as the club advanced to the semi-finals.
However, a nil-nil draw away to Liverpool in the first leg, followed by a 2-0 defeat in the home leg, saw the Gunners dumped out of the competition.
Even though the club mounted their first title challenge the following season, they did terribly in the cup, losing 3-1 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.
It was another disappointing effort in the 23/24 campaign as the North Londoners lost a Fourth Round tie against West Ham United by the same scoreline.
Interestingly, even though Arteta’s side made it to the semi-finals last season, the terrible manner in which Newcastle United knocked them out almost made it the worst exit of the lot.
In all, Arsenal have massively underperformed in the League Cup for a long time and need to win it this year.
With that said, Arteta should be bold when replacing Madueke in the lineup tonight.
The Arsenal star Arteta should start over Saka
Firstly, it is clear that Saka is the best player at Arsenal and should therefore play as many games as possible.
However, therein lies one of the primary reasons he shouldn’t start tonight: he already plays too many games.
Moreover, he only just returned from his second hamstring injury in as many seasons on Sunday, and therefore cannot be risked ahead of another hugely important game against Newcastle at the weekend.
Finally, even with Madueke out injured, Arteta has another option he can pick instead of the talismanic winger: Max Dowman.
Yes, it would be an incredibly bold move from the manager, but given the need to keep Saka fit, the level of opposition and the teenager’s incredible talent, it’s one he should make.
After all, this isn’t just your run-of-the-mill academy player we are talking about here; this is someone that respected talent scout Jacek Kulig claimed is the “most exciting prospect” he has seen “since Lamine Yamal.”
Appearances
23
Minutes
1945′
Goals
19
Assists
5
Goal Involvements per Match
1.04
Minutes per Goal Involvement
81.04′
Moreover, in just 23 appearances across several youth teams last season, totalling 1945 minutes, he scored 19 goals and provided five assists, averaging 1.04 goal involvements per match, or one every 81.04 minutes.
Finally, we’ve already seen what he’s capable of against Premier League teams.
For example, in pre-season, he looked incredible against Newcastle, and then in the league proper, on debut, he earned a penalty against Leeds United.
As respected analyst Ben Mattinson puts it, the 15-year-old is an “insane” talent, and even if Madueke were fit, there would be a genuine argument for starting him tonight.
Ultimately, some may say it’s too early, but Dowman looks like a future superstar and deserves to start against Port Vale.
