Why Viktor Gyokeres has been dropped for Arsenal’s clash with Man City | Football

Mikel Arteta says Kai Havertz’s ‘intelligence’ and ability to ‘bring other into play’ were factors in his decision to drop Viktor Gyokeres down to the bench for Arsenal’s crunch match with second-placed Manchester City.

The Premier League leaders have made a total of two changes to the team that faced Sporting in midweek, with Gabriel Martinelli and Gyokeres missing out in favour of Martin Odegaard and Havertz respectively.

Gyokeres has found the net in all of the Gunners’ last three Premier League contests with Everton, Southampton and Bournemouth, but struggled in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg.

Arteta had experimented with both Gyokeres and Havertz in the same starting XI for the side’s recent defeat at Bournemouth, but the latter will be the focal point of the visitors’ attack this afternoon.

Club captain Odegaard, meanwhile, appears to have shaken off his injury concerns to start at No.10 having missed the goalless draw with Sporting, with Eberechi Eze moving out to the left flank.

‘There are a lot of factors,’ Arteta told Sky Sports when asked to explain his decision to select Havertz over Gyokeres.

‘Kai is very intelligent. The way he occupies spaces, spins players, bring players into play. All the things that are necessary to do in this game. He’s a top player for that.’

On the task that awaits his Arsenal team, Arteta continued: ‘It’s going to be a match between two sides who have a lot of capacity to adapt, play a different game with a lot of quality on the pitch.

‘We have to navigate through the game, impose ourselves in the manner we have done for many months.

‘Today, we have a quite lot of players who can deliver that. We have a lot of flexibility in the team. [Odegaard] plays with a lot of personality, leadership – he’s very comfortable under pressure.’

Arteta hopes Eze is able to continue his ‘phenomenal’ run for form on the big stage against second-placed City this afternoon.

‘Every game requires different things,’ the Arsenal boss said of Eze’s return to the left wing.

‘The players we have around us are very important.

‘Ebs has been phenomenal for us for months, he’s a player for this kind of game.’

Today’s hosts City have opted for the same team that cruised to a comprehensive 3-0 victory away to Chelsea last weekend.

There had been some doubts over Nico O’Reilly’s fitness after the young England international limped off at Stamford Bridge with a muscle issue, but he has been passed fit to feature in this afternoon’s potential title decider.

John Stones, meanwhile, has been named on City’s substitutes bench and could feature for the first time since the side’s win at Newcastle on March 7.

‘Every manager has won before on the tactical board. They prepare best what they have to do. But after [the whistle], the opponent plays, the referee plays. Many things can happen,’ Pep Guardiola told Sky Sports ahead of kick-off.

‘Play our game-plan. That’s all they have to do, in all aspects of the game. Game plan, that’s all.

‘Results help. We’ve had a good results. Not perfect 95 minutes. It’s mainly happened with new players in the squad. It’s important that after many years, we are there. Six or seven games, we are close to being in the Champions League next season. 

‘People say, how naive is Pep? But it’s the most important title for stability. Next season, we’ll be there. Now we want to extend the chances to fight until the end in the Premier League.’

On Arteta, his former assistant at City, Guardiola added: ‘I’m not one to give advice to Mikel, but I would say do what they’ve done all season.

‘Because they’ve been really bad right? Unbeaten in the Champions League, top of the Premier League.

‘Of course, they can adjust something. But the mindset of the team will be the same.’

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