🔥🏟️Ethan Nwaneri role, new formation – Arsenal midfield options in North London Derby vs Tottenham

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 11: Ethan Nwaneri of Arsenal during the pre-season friendly match between Arsenal and Olympique Lyonnais at Emirates Stadium on August 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

Ethan Nwaneri is an option to start for Arsenal against Tottenham. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

The North London Derby is fast-approaching and Mikel Arteta is facing something of a crisis at Arsenal.

He already knew he would be without Declan Rice after the England international was sent off harshly during the 1-1 draw with Brighton prior to the international break. He also knew that new signing Mikel Merino would be absent for the game after he was injured in his first training session at London Colney.

To make matters worse, it now looks as though Arteta will be without Martin Odegaard. The Arsenal captain was injured while on duty for Norway this week and is facing around three weeks on the sidelines.

With that in mind Arteta has some serious thinking to do when it comes to this Sunday’s match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Here football.london takes a look at the options that he has.

New role for Havertz

Kai Havertz has started the season up top and continued on his superb form from last season with two goals and an assist. He’s spoken about wanting to score 20 goals this season and is working on his movements as a centre forward.

The German was originally signed as a midfielder though. If Gabriel Jesus is fit then he could easily be moved back into the role for a while as he has the creativity. Leandro Trossard is also an option up top, while Raheem Sterling played regularly as a false nine when Arteta worked with him at Manchester City.

Trust the youth

Mikel Arteta has said that if young players at Arsenal are good enough then they will get opportunities this season. Now could be the chance to put his money where his mouth is.

Part of the reason Fabio Vieira was allowed to leave was because the Gunners rate Ethan Nwaneri so highly. He starred in both the left and right eight roles in pre-season, but playing him in games as big as Spurs and Manchester City away could be a big ask.

Trossard in the middle

An option that Arteta has tried in the past is using Leandro Trossard as an eight. The Belgian played there against Brentford away last season and knows how to operate in central areas.

He is technically secure enough to be a Martin Odegaard replacement, but generally Trossard hasn’t played his best stuff in the middle. If Arsenal want to do it though, the arrival of Raheem Sterling as an option on the left wing means they could probably get away with it.

New formation

Another option Arsenal could look at is to change the midfield configuration. The Gunners have played almost exclusively in a 4-3-3 set up in recent seasons under Arteta. With Odegaard, Rice and Merino all likely to be out for the North London Derby though, things may need to change.

A double pivot is an option Arteta has at his disposal. Both Jorginho and Thomas Partey have played in systems that feature two holders in their careers and could work well alongside each other.

Alternatively, Arteta could look to offset the lack of creative depth by getting even more solid defensively and playing a back five. It’s not ideal by any stretch of the imagination, but with such a tough run of away fixtures coming up, it might be a safe thing to do.