Smith Rowe vs Luton
Stats
Smith Rowe
Pass accuracy
89%
Touches
55
Key passes
2
Shots
2
Tackles
1
Interceptions
2
Dribbled past
0
Via Sofascore
Taking home the player of the match award, Smith-Rowe was almost back to his usual self, adding energy, creativity, and skill to the Arsenal setup, with Arteta full of praise for the attacking midfielder, saying: "When Emile Smith-Rowe is in that moment... guys, it's very difficult to stop him".
"He won a lot of duels and he was thinking with that killer instinct to play forward and to make things happen."
The “special” talent, as dubbed by Jamie Carragher, clearly wanted to impress, with his two key passes and two shots supporting the boss’ statements.
That said, the number ten wasn’t too eager, often making the right decision in possession and working extremely hard to regain the ball for his side, which was almost the best aspect of his game on the day.
emile-smith-rowe-arsenal
Smith-Rowe’s return would see him feature in the left-sided midfield role, ultimately meaning that Rice will drop into his usual defensive midfield role.
The winner of the midfield battle during this game will have a huge say in the final outcome against Unai Emery'sThis afternoon, Arsenal welcome Aston Villa to the Emirates Stadium, where they will look to win their sixth Premier League home game in a row.
Mikel Arteta’s side go into the game off the back of a relatively decent 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Arsenal-Champions-League
Some changes are expected to be made from the mid-week European clash, even though a victory would see the Gunners return to the top of the table.
Indeed, one player could return to the starting lineup, in turn making Jorginho lose his place.
Why Jorginho must be dropped by Arteta
There’s no two ways about it: Jorginho has now cemented himself as a starter in Arteta’s best team, controlling the game from a deeper role.
The Italian has featured in 21 Premier League games this season, developing a brilliant relationship with Declan Rice at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield.
Declan-Rice-Jorginho-Arsenal
However, against Thomas Tuchel’s side, the 32-year-old struggled to influence the game quite as much as he would have hoped, even being substituted early for Gabriel Jesus.
Over his 67 minutes on the field, the former Chelsea ace had an 85% pass accuracy and won 57% of his ground duels in what was a quiet night for the midfielder, but his potential replacement this weekend will certainly look to impact the tie.
Martinelli-Arsenal-Porto
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The man to replace Jorginho against Aston Villa
Emile Smith Rowe’s never-ending injury crisis has continued into the 2023/24 campaign, missing ten games through setbacks and halting his progress once again.
However, he’s slowly getting back up to speed after his return, with the 23-year-old making 11 league appearances this term, but in truth, all but three of them have been short cameos.
Emile-Smith-Rowe-Arsenal
Arteta has been extremely cautious when managing his minutes, sitting on the bench in six of Arsenal’s last seven matches across all competitions.
However, in the one game he didmen, and with Douglas Luiz unavailable due to suspension, the Spaniard will fancy his chances of playing a more creative star in the middle of the field.
Overall, with the second leg of the Champions League around the corner, Jorginho should be handed a rest, and out of all the potential replacements, Smith Rowe deserves a shot.
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