Mikel Arteta's side have had to deal with a torrent of injuries and comical suspensions, all while they've seemingly lost the ability to fashion open-play chances.
It looked like the Gunners were on track for another disappointing result at half-time on Wednesday night after Crystal Palace capitalised on Jakub Kiwior's mistake to take a 1-0 lead.
arsenal-jakub-kiwior
Fortunately, Arteta made a raft of changes at the break, and for most of the second half, the hosts were sublime, so to ensure they start the right way away to the Eagles this evening, he must be ruthless and drop one of his starters from the week.
The Arsenal starter Arteta must drop
So, the unfortunate reality is that Arteta could and probably should drop the majority of the players who started against Palace on Wednesday night, but we are talking about Ethan Nwaneri.
ethan-nwaneri-arsenal
Now, the first thing to say is that taking the Hale End gem out of the lineup is not a statement on his quality, as we have seen enough in his short cameos and heard enough from those in the know to know ourselves that the future is incredibly bright for the 17-year-old.
However, similar to his substitute appearance against Everton last Saturday, the Enfield-born dynamo was undeniably ineffective, which has not been said often this season.
Nwaneri's game vs Palace
Minutes
46'
Goals
0
Assists
0
Touches
31
Passes
16
Key Passes
0
Dribbles (Successful)
3 (0)
Duels (Won)
8 (1)
Lost Possession
8
Shots on Target
0
All Stats via Sofascore
For example, in his 46 minutes of action, he took 31 touches but completed just 16 passes and failed in 100% of his dribbles, which more than justifies the 6/10 match rating he received from the Standard's Simon Collings.
Furthermore, dropping him ahead of today's game is also the responsible thing to do for his own development, as he's still incredibly young and a must-win, extremely intense away game at Selhurst Park is not the kind of environment Arteta should be throwing him into for no reason.
nwaneri-Arsenal-sterling
In all, Nwaneri remains an incredibly exciting talent, but he should be taken out of the firing line tonight, especially when there is another incredible player ready to step back into the lineup.
The Arsenal star Arteta must start
It should come as no surprise that the player we are talking about is, of course, club captain Martin Odegaard.
Martin-Odegaard-arsenal
The Norwegian "wizard", as dubbed by former footballer Babayele Sodade, didn't have a great game himself against Everton last weekend, but as journalist Charles Watts said, he completely "changed the game" against Palace.
Despite being on the pitch for just one half, the "sensational" midfielder, as dubbed by The Athletic's Aaron Catterson-Reid, picked up two assists, played three key passes, completed two dribbles and created two big chances.
It was a fantastic showing from the Drammen-born star and a timely reminder of just how influential he can be on the team when in form.
However, it's not just his performance on Wednesday that should see the former Real Madrid prospect come straight back into the team; it's also his overall record of 36 goals and 30 assists in 166 games for the club, combined with his experience and leadership qualities, as Selhurst Park will be rocking under the lights.
Ultimately, Nwaneri still looks like he could be the future of Arsenal, but due to the need to protect him and his somewhat underwhelming display on Wednesday, he should be dropped
for the incredibly talented Odegaard.
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