Arsenal’s goalless draw with Manchester City yesterday was certainly nothing to write home about. And the overall drabness and dullness of it, will soon be erased from our collective memories. Up next is a visit from Luton Town, on Wednesday, and it is a match that will see Mikel Arteta reshuffle his lineup again. The first reshuffling occurred yesterday when the Spaniard placed Gabriel Jesus out wide, as part of a front four.
This formation saw Kai Havertz slotted in the middle, with winger Bukayo Saka (who was subbed off late for Gabe Martinelli) and midfielder Martin Odegaard rounding out the foursome up top.
Arsenal vs Luton Town FYIs
Kickoff: Wed. Apr. 3, 7:30 pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Arsenal Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
PL Position: Luton Town 18th, 22 pts Arsenal 2nd, 65 pts
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Form: Luton Town LDLDL Arsenal DWWWW
Google Result Probability: Luton Town 4% Arsenal 88% Draw 8%
And it meant Declan Rice and Jorginho were slotted in the middle of the park, with a back four, to create a very original 4-2-4 set up. While the result was tedious, pragmatic and yawn-inducing to us neutrals, it worked out for Arteta. He went to The Etihad and came away with a point. Very few teams do that!
With a visit from Luton Town in midweek, expect the Spaniard to go more conventional.
Arsenal Starting XI Prediction vs Luton Town
David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Kai Havertz; Eddie Nketiah, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.