Leandro Trossard's Form Presents a Selection Dilemma for Mikel Arteta Ahead of Arsenal's Trip to Liverpool

Leandro Trossard’s Form Presents a Selection Dilemma for Mikel Arteta Ahead of Arsenal’s Trip to Liverpool

Arsenal will face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, and Mikel Arteta must decide whether to start Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Jesus.

Mikel Arteta’s side will almost certainly need to avoid defeat away at Liverpool this Sunday in a fixture that will have massive implications at the top of the Premier League table.

The Gunners have not left Merseyside with all three points since the 2012/2013 season. They do have a couple of goalless draws in the Carabao Cup to draw comfort from, but their record in this particular league fixture is pretty dismal.

However, this could be the ideal time to play Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp’s side have lost three games in a row since thrashing Manchester United 7-0 last month and will have less recovery time than Arsenal due to their match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

And by the time the game kicks off at Anfield, the Reds may have lost even more ground in the race for Champions League qualification, while Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table could be down to five points once again, with Manchester City in action away at Southampton around 24 hours earlier.

As a result, Arteta must be precise in his team selection. However, based on events earlier in the season, the Arsenal manager’s task has become a little more difficult since the January transfer window closed and the 4-1 win over Leeds United at the weekend.

There’s a strong case to be made that Leandro Trossard was the best January signing made by any Premier League club. The statistics certainly support this theory, as his seven assists since signing for £21 million from Brighton are the most of any player in the Gunners squad this season, aside from Bukayo Saka.

When you consider that the Belgium international has a hat-trick at Anfield on his resume – this season in a 3-3 draw in Brighton colors – he’s surely the ideal candidate to start on Sunday as Arsenal look to end their dreadful away record at Liverpool.

After all, Arteta has demonstrated on numerous occasions during his tenure as Arsenal manager that he will reward players in form: “I have very wild dreams!” the Spaniard exclaimed in the post-Leeds press conference when asked if he could have imagined Trossard being this good.

“No seriously, we knew about his quality and what he could bring to the team. He can play, right, left, he can play as a midfielder he can be a false nine. He’s really contributing to the team. He’s taking responsibility to make that happen and we love him.”

However, if the in-form Gabriel Martinelli starts on the left side of the attack and Saka is recalled on the opposite flank following a substitute appearance against Leeds United, Trossard will be competing with Gabriel Jesus for the chance to lead the line against Liverpool.

The Brazilian certainly staked his claim with a brace on his return to the Premier League starting lineup, and it’s been reported that he’s close to being fully fit after missing three months with a knee injury.

So, as Arteta spends this week preparing for Liverpool’s visit to Anfield in an attempt to break Arsenal’s Anfield hoodoo, he is well-equipped in attack to cause problems for the home side, but who he chooses to lead the line may prove to be one of the most difficult decisions so far this season.