Arsenal's European Quest: Midfield and Attack Changes
Arsenal head back into Europe with a familiar feeling: unfinished business.
Last season they tore through the league phase, eight wins from eight, untouchable over 90 minutes across the entire competition. Nobody beat them in regulation time. Not once. Yet the trophy still slipped away in Budapest, Paris Saint-Germain holding their nerve in a penalty shootout that still stings inside the club.
Now the road starts again, under the lights in Naples on Wednesday night, and Mikel Arteta looks ready to lean on the depth that made Arsenal so formidable in the first place.
Midfield reshuffle on the cards
One of the biggest calls comes in the middle of the pitch. Bruno Guimaraes did not feature at all in the win over Chelsea, still managing a knock, and that opens the door for Martin Zubimendi. The Spaniard offers control, tempo and a different passing rhythm, and this feels like the sort of European away night made for his composure.
Arteta has rarely hesitated to rotate when the schedule tightens and the stakes rise. This looks like another of those moments.
Eze and Gyokeres pushing for starts
Higher up the pitch, the competition is just as fierce. Eberechi Eze will be eyeing that left flank, hoping this is the night he gets a run from the start. His ability to glide past defenders and carry the ball up the pitch could be crucial if Arsenal spend long spells under pressure in Naples.
Through the middle, Viktor Gyokeres is waiting. He has yet to start this season, but that could change if Arteta decides to manage Kai Havertz’s minutes. Havertz has carried a heavy load already; Gyokeres offers fresh legs, direct running and a more traditional focal point. If Arsenal want to stretch the game and turn it into a physical battle, the Swede is a powerful option.
Defensive juggling continues
At the back, the picture is more complicated. William Saliba remains a long-term absentee with a back injury, a loss that still reshapes everything Arsenal do defensively. Jurrien Timber has yet to play a minute this season but edges closer to a return, while Cristhian Mosquera is a doubt with a muscle problem.
All of that points to Ezri Konsa once again lining up alongside Gabriel, just as he did in the Chelsea win on Sunday. It is a pairing that brings aggression and aerial strength, even if it is not yet as settled as the Saliba–Gabriel axis.
If Arteta does tweak the back line, it is most likely to be on the left. Riccardo Calafiori has been outstanding in the early weeks of the season, blending defensive discipline with the bravery to step into midfield. But his Arsenal career has already been punctured by injury concerns, and the staff know they cannot simply run him into the ground.
That is where Piero Hincapie comes in. He was the only defender on the bench against Chelsea, a clear sign of how stretched the options were, and there is every chance he steps into the starting XI in Naples. A left-footed defender comfortable both wide and centrally, he offers the kind of flexibility Arteta craves.
Arsenal arrive in Italy with scars from last season but also with a squad that looks even deeper, even more dangerous. They dominated Europe’s league phase once. Now the question is simple: can this reshaped, rotated version finally finish the job?
