Arsenal have valuable weapon in Ethan Nwaneri who could solve key Mikel Arteta problem | OneFootball

No Martin Odegaard or Bukayo Saka has left the Gunners with a new issue that needs solving fast

Mikel Arteta is not one for social media, but if the Arsenal boss were to have glanced at it over the past few days he would have spotted a familiar theme.

In the wake of Saturday’s shock defeat by Bournemouth, the clamour for Ethan Nwaneri to start Tuesday’s Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk has rapidly grown.

That is no surprise given the nature of Arsenal’s loss at the weekend. Reduced to 10 men for the third time this season, they managed just one shot on target.

Arteta stressed afterwards that it was difficult to analyse the performance following William Saliba’s red card but, in the 30 minutes Arsenal had all 11 players on the pitch, they struggled to create.

Arsenal have, so far, coped relatively well without their injured captain Martin Odegaard. Arteta has switched from a 4-3-3 formation to a more traditional 4-4-2, with Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard spearheading the attack.

The pair have combined well with Declan Rice and Thomas Partey behind them, essentially creating a four-man box midfield that has allowed Arsenal to outnumber their opponents in the middle of the pitch.

Against Bournemouth, however, Arteta reverted back to his favoured 4-3-3 formation, deploying Partey at the base of midfield with Mikel Merino and Rice ahead of him.

Taking his chance: Teenage midfielder Ethan Nwaneri has already impressed Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

That gave Arsenal a huge physical presence, with Merino joking on Monday how the Gunners now resemble a basketball team such is their size, but there was a lack of guile which was only exacerbated by Bukayo Saka’s absence. Before the international break this month, Saka was ranked first in the Premier League for chances created.

Without Odegaard and Saka, Arsenal lacked a creative spark and - given that the pair could both be absent again on Tuesday - it is easy to see why the calls for Nwaneri to start are growing.

The 17-year-old has passed every test so far, excelling in his cameos off the bench in the Premier League and scoring twice on his full debut in the Carabao Cup last month.

Arteta has praised Nwaneri’s confidence when thrown on, highlighting his desire to demand the ball and impact the game.

“You don’t feel sorry for yourself, you take ownership, you start taking more risks, everybody,” Arteta said after Arsenal’s win over Leicester last month.

“Nwaneri, 17 years old - he takes the ball the first one is an action like this, he runs past two, three players and wants to take a shot. I just love it, you want to play here, you want to be at that level you need to play with that courage.”

Arteta will find it hard to ignore Nwaneri if Arsenal continue to struggle for creativity

That ability to drive with the ball from midfield, and make things happen, could be a valuable weapon for Arsenal, especially when trying to break teams down.

Nwaneri clearly has confidence in his talent to believe he can be the difference, so the temptation to give him the platform to do it must surely be there for Arteta.

There is, however, a balance to strike. It should not be forgotten that Nwaneri is still only 17 and in the formative days of his career.

Filling Odegaard’s shoes on the ball is one thing, but replicating the Arsenal captain’s work off it is another task entirely.

Odegaard leads Arsenal's press and, before his injury last month, he had caused 180 turnovers since the start of last season - more than any other Premier League player. Asking a 17-year-old to replicate that feels a tall order, from both a physical and tactical point of view. Despite that, though, Arteta will find it hard to ignore Nwaneri if Arsenal struggle for creativity.