Arsenal's hectic fixture schedule shows no mercy as Mikel Arteta's men host Everton on Saturday afternoon, less than 72 hours after securing a well-earned point away at Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The Gunners ended their Allianz Arena rot on Wednesday night, battling to draw with Vincent Kompany's rampant German giants . The result and performance in Bavaria will give Arteta and his players confidence, and they should have no problem navigating their way past an Everton side who produced a dire display at home to Chelsea at the weekend.
David Moyes' side have undertaken something of a stylistic change in the last 12 months, moving towards a more expansive, possession-oriented approach. It'll be interesting to see whether the Scotsman sticks with this style at the Emirates, or instead reverts to a more pragmatic mid-block set-up to negate the Gunners.
Regardless, Arteta will need to ensure he has the right blend of attacking attributes on the pitch to give his side the best chance of breaching the Toffees' backline. Having played two matches in the space of four days in the lead-up to this clash in N5, one thing is for sure; the Spaniard needs to make changes.
With that said, here are three players who must start against Everton, and two who must be kept on the sidelines.
Myles Lewis-Skelly made a huge impact for Arsenal off the bench on Wednesday night in Munich. Bruno Guimaraes' laboured display saw the Gunners struggle with Bayern's dynamic passing patterns in between the lines, and Lewis-Skelly's introduction helped to quash this threat.
The Hale End graduate brought control and tempo to Arsenal's passing and has merited a start in this clash against the Merseysiders. He'll likely partner Rice, with Guimaraes dropping to the bench.
Kai Havertz has had a few flat games in a row now, as he clearly continues to nurse the injury he sustained during the international break. Viktor Gyokeres, on the other hand, has made an impact in each of his last two cameo appearances, providing the Gunners with a focal point against Nottingham Forest, and providing Rice with an assist against Bayern.
The Swede deserves to take Havertz's place against Everton, and this game gives him a golden opportunity to get off the mark for the new season.
Cristhian Mosquera hasn't had any minutes since August, and while some of this is down to his extended injury lay-off, he has undoubtedly found himself on the periphery of the team since Ezri Konsa's arrival. If Arteta isn't careful, he risks leaving the extremely talented and promising Spanish defender behind , stalling the player's development.
Fortunately for Arteta, this upcoming week should provide the Gunners boss with a couple of opportunities to rotate his central defenders. He'll want Konsa and Gabriel to start at Anfield, but he'll also want both of these players to enjoy a complete rest at some point.
So, Konsa can start on the bench against Everton, allowing Mosquera to come in alongside Gabriel. The Brazilian can then sit out of the game at Fleetwood in midweek, with Konsa coming back in, giving Mosquera two opportunities to play in a row.
Jurrien Timber was magnificent against Nottingham Forest before producing a commendable display away at the Allianz on Wednesday. However, it's imperative that Arteta rotates the Dutchman, carefully managing his minutes across various competitions.
In the past, the Arsenal manager has been guilty of overplaying Timber, which has led to the full-back's body breaking down. The clash with Everton is the perfect opportunity to rest the defender and keep him fresh for Anfield next week, with Ben White waiting in the wings for minutes.
Dubbing Gyokeres as unbenchable at striker implies Havertz will drop out of the starting eleven, and for the reasons stated in the former Sporting striker's section, it's important that the German takes a couple of matches out of the limelight.
He appears to have lost a bit of confidence since the international break, so keeping him out of the side for a short period makes sense.
This article was originally published on www.paininthearsenal.com as 3 non-negotiable starters for Arsenal as 2 drop to the bench against Everton .
