Lee Dixon tells Mikel Arteta to start ‘brilliant’ Arsenal star in Champions League final – ‘it’s a big call’ | OneFootball

Arsenal legend Lee Dixon has encouraged head coach Mikel Arteta to start Myles Lewis-Skelly in the Champions League final on Saturday.

The Gunners have already won the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years this season, and now they are looking to lift the Champions League the first time in their history.

The north London side head into Saturday evening’s final against holders Paris Saint-Germain as the underdogs, but they will feel that they have a chance of nullifying Luis Enrique’s side with their exceptional defence.

Arteta also has several big selection calls to make for the match, including whether to start Lewis-Skelly over Martin Zubimendi in midfield.

Lewis-Skelly has come in from the shadows to shine for his boyhood club during the run-in, and club legend Dixon thinks his former side should make the “big call” of starting him against PSG.

“I can’t say I was surprised because I think I knew he could do it,” Dixon said during an interview with The Athletic.

“I think it was an opportunity born out of Mikel needing something, and he got it in bucketloads. I thought Myles was brilliant. His control, his awareness of players around him — he was my man of the match, and possibly in both games.

“It’s a big call (who to start in the Champions League final). But I’d probably play Myles. I think he’s already shown enough not to be fazed by that.”

Dixon has also likened Lewis-Skelly to former England international Paul Gascoigne.

“I’ve watched Myles a lot — he’s very Gazza-like in the way that he uses his weight and his strength,” Dixon added.

“He almost allows players to catch up with him. He’ll go past them and then he slows down a little bit. Gazza used to do that so that when they come in and make contact again, he bounces them off him.

“Myles will win free kicks by doing that and he will also get himself in positions higher up the pitch, so it’s a brilliant skill to have.”

“I’ve been a little surprised…”

And fellow club legend Nigel Winterburn has backed Lewis-Skelly to thrive in midfield if he starts against PSG, while he is “surprised” that he has not been used in this position before now.

“I’ve been a little surprised that Lewis-Skelly hadn’t got his chance in central midfield before,” Winterburn told Metro via BetGoodwin.

“I was super excited when he was picked for the Wigan game in the FA Cup that position, but Calafiori then got injured before the game and he had to go back to full-back.

“I’ve watched him come through at the youth level, and central midfield is his position. He carries the ball, he delivers the ball, and he’s usually so powerful when he’s moving with the ball.

“Would I be surprised if Myles Lewis-Skelly starts in the Champions League final in central midfield? No, I wouldn’t be.

“Trying to prejudge what Mikel Arteta will do is tricky, we’ve already seen that occasionally he throws in a little bit of a curveball, because I don’t think many people saw Myles Lewis-Skelly coming into that midfield role a few weeks ago.

“You’re playing against a team in top, top form, Champions League final, but the way I look at him, I think he can cope with that all day long.”