Arsenal travel the short distance across London as they visit Brentford in the third round of the Carabao Cup. The league cup is something that the Gunners have not had much success in throughout their trophy-laden history as they have only won the competition twice ever.
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Arsenal Tactical Preview vs Brentford
Chance For Fringe Players to Show Their Worth
A problem for Arsenal this season has been the lack of goals scored with only 11 in the Premier League so far in this campaign. This is the joint seventh most in the league alongside West Ham. For a side with title ambitions who netted 89 times last term this is a major issue and must be improved.
The players that are brought in for this cup game have a chance to show their worth to Mikel Arteta and display why they deserve to be granted more minutes in the league and Champions League. One player who has a great chance to put himself in with a chance of starting big matches is Reiss Nelson.
With Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and now Bukayo Saka all out for the match against the Bees, Nelson has a massive chance to showcase his talent. He is almost certainly going to start at the GTech Community Stadium and after racking up minutes from the bench so far this season he is in with a chance of breaking into the starting lineup if he plays well in this match.
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Emile Smith Rowe’s Ready to Step Up
Emile Smith Rowe is a player who has already shown how talented he can be for Arsenal over the years, taking up the famous number 10 shirt in the process. However, a significant injury last season limited his game time and he has not been Arteta’s go-to man off the bench so far this season. His only appearance in the league came last Sunday in injury time against Tottenham but he will be ready to start this match to give some starters a rest.
With his dynamic ball-running style and ability to make a key pass or find a goal, Smith Rowe will be a key asset if they want to progress beyond this stage of the competition and break Brentford down. He can play in midfield or out wide and will cause the Bee’s backline plenty of problems.
Matching Brentford’s Physicality is Important
The Gunners have been on the receiving end of a few disappointing results against Thomas Frank’s men in their two seasons in the Premier League. In their first match, they famously beat Arsenal 2-0 at home outbattling Arteta’s side in all avenues of the pitch. Last term they also took precious points during the North Londoners title charge in a 1-1 draw at the Emirates, in a match where Ivan Toney dominated William Saliba.
It might be important for the Spaniard to bring in considerable height into his starting lineup. He can bring in Jakub Kiwior on the left-hand side of the defence and Takehiro Tomiyasu on the right to replace Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ben White to offer some height and rigidity in the Gunners’ defence. This would allow Arsenal to defend set pieces and long direct balls forward well, something Frank’s team specialises in.
