Summary Arsenal's chances of winning the Premier League title will be dashed if they lose to Liverpool on Sunday. Emile Smith Rowe showed flashes of his potential in a recent match, but a different type of midfielder is needed against Liverpool. A player with composure and ability to win duels is the right choice to start alongside Declan Rice in this crucial match.
If Arsenal lose to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, they can surely wave farewell to any chance of winning the Premier League title.
Before the start of today's fixtures, the Gunners sit in third place, five points behind Jurgen Klopp's men.
A win, therefore, could see Mikel Arteta's side leapfrog Manchester City into second and move to within two points of the league leaders. We don't need to tell you just how big this clash is.
In the reverse fixture, Arsenal did well to negate the threat of Liverpool and with no Mohamed Salah on this occasion, they should be feeling confident. That said, this is a team who have looked inspired this season. Life will not be easy at the Emirates Stadium.
It will be interesting to see what sort of lineup Arteta fields this afternoon. It's unlikely we'll see widespread changes but one man that could see his place under threat is Emile Smith Rowe.
Smith Rowe's performance in numbers v Forest
During the January transfer window it looked as though Smith Rowe's days were perhaps numbered in north London.
A move to West Ham was being touted but that was batted away by Arsenal amid claims that the Englishman had allegedly seriously impressed the coaching staff during the club's warm-weather training camp in Dubai this winter.
It felt as though a start was imminent and against Nottingham Forest, he was handed a rare opportunity from the off. Did he take it? Yes, but not with great aplomb.
That has been the story of most players to feature in that number 8 role this season, but the 23-year-old did show strong flashes of what he's capable of. He picked up neat pockets of space and linked up well with teammates, ultimately finishing the 2-1 win at the City Ground with a 93% pass success rate.
Minutes played
71
Touches
48
Accurate passes
42/45 (93%)
Key passes
1
Duels won
1/3
Shots
1
Tackles
1
Possession lost
4x
Starting the Hale End graduate in a game where you're expected to dominate possession is all well and good and truth be told, Smith Rowe probably deserves a run of games.
However, with Liverpool coming to town, Arteta requires a different type of midfielder next to Declan Rice.
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Earlier in the week Thomas Partey was ruled out through injury again. The Ghanaian hasn't been seen since the 1-0 win over Manchester City back in October.
Detailing a fresh setback, Arteta noted: "With Thomas unfortunately we had a little setback a few days ago. He’s not going to be available in the squad. We’ll see if it’s a matter of days of weeks. But he had a little thing. I’m not a doctor, but he felt something in a very similar area and he wasn’t able to train the last few days."
Partey feels tailormade for this sort of game but with no threat of the former Atletico Madrid man being named on the teamsheet this time, Jorginho is the man the club should entrust alongside Rice.
The Italian last started the FA Cup tie with Liverpool a few weeks ago but due to injury and general preference, hasn't started a league match since a 3-1 win against Burnley in early November, nearly three months ago.
So why should the veteran start against Liverpool? Well, he offers a calming influence in games that often bring about chaos. After starring against Newcastle at St James' Park last term, Gary Neville said of Jorginho:
"The reason why Manchester United players and Pep Guardiola have said Paul Scholes is their favourite player was because in moments in the hardest atmosphere in a difficult away game those players are unique. They have the composure, the balance to get the team playing.
"That’s what Jorginho reminded me of – he was fantastic. Arsenal have gone up a lot in my estimation as I didn’t expect that [2-0 win v Newcastle]. I expected them to fall."
When Arsenal take on the big boys more often than not Jorginho has been trusted by Arteta and his coaching staff to deliver exactly what Neville described there.
Described as a "mental monster" by Dr Rajpal Brar – a notable character on social media – the Euros winner has already started against Man City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Liverpool this term. Last season, he also started against those three of those four teams. But how did he fare the last time the Reds played the Gunners? Pretty well as it happens.
Minutes played
81
Touches
56
Accurate passes
40/49 (82%)
Key passes
3
Duels won
8/12
Tackles
4
Fouled
3x
Not only was the former Chelsea star metronomic but he was also combative in the middle of the park. Jorginho isn't just capable of dictating the play but a whopping eight duels won suggests he can also get stuck in.
Smith Rowe's time for more starts will no doubt come but on a massive occasion such as this, the midfield veteran is the man you need.
