After a long, long two weeks, the international break has finally come to an end, and Arsenal are back in action.
Mikel Arteta’s side will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table when they take on Fulham away from home later on this afternoon.
However, Craven Cottage has not been a happy hunting ground for the Gunners in recent years, and they’ll be without club captain Martin Odegaard.
Fortunately, Arteta now has a squad to deal with situations such as this, and to make sure his side collect all three points, he should bring in one of his best summer signings to replace the Norwegian.
Arsenal's recent form against Fulham
Arsenal’s overall record against Fulham is a spectacular one, as since their first meeting back in February 1904, they have won 43 games, drawn 13 and lost just nine.
There have also been some big wins in that time, such as a 5-1 thumping at Craven Cottage in former manager Unai Emery’s first game against the West Londoners, a game famous for a brilliant team goal.
However, even though Arteta has transformed the North Londoners back into title challengers in recent seasons, Fulham have become something of a bogey team for his side at the same time.
For example, in the last five encounters, Arsenal have won just two games, drawn two and lost one.
Moreover, the Gunners dropped two points in the game at Craven Cottage last season and dropped all three the year before that, in a season they lost the league by just two.
01/04/25
Home
2-1 (Win)
08/12/24
Away
1-1 (Draw)
31/12/23
Away
2-1 (Loss)
26/08/23
Home
2-2 (Draw)
12/03/23
Away
3-0 (Win)
In other words, while this should be a straightforward game on paper for Arteta’s men, it truly is anything but.
With that said, Arsenal are looking good, have already won at another historically tough ground in St James’ Park, and should have more than enough firepower to deal with whatever Marco Silva has planned for this afternoon.
Additionally, while Odegaard’s absence is far from ideal, Arteta can start someone else in his place who’s just as talented a footballer.
The Arsenal player who should replace Odegaard
Arsenal might not have spent as much money on individual players as some other sides this summer, but they made sure to bolster the squad, and as a result, there are a few ways Arteta can replace Odegaard for this game.
Chalkboard
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However, the best option he has is to keep Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze in the midfield and bring Martin Zubimendi back into the starting lineup.
There are a few reasons why this would be the best approach, and the first is that his presence at the base of midfield will allow Eze to focus all his attention on the happenings at the sharp end of the pitch.
Moreover, even though Rice has been dropping back a bit more on occasion this season, almost into a double pivot, having the former Real Sociedad star behind him should also give him more license to bomb forward at times.
With that said, it’s not just the 26-year-old’s defensive stability that makes him an obvious inclusion in the lineup, but his passing range and ability to strike the ball.
The latter was on full display when he scored that ridiculous volley against Nottingham Forest, and the former has been on display all season, be that in short passes out from the back, impressive switches, or long driving through balls.
For example, according to FBref, he ranks in the top 6% of midfielders in the Premier League this season for pass completion, long pass completion, passes blocked and successful take-on percentage, the top 10% for overall blocks and more, all per 90.
Pass Completion %
88.9%
Top 6%
Pass Completion % (Long)
75.0%
Top 6%
Passes Blocked
1.68
Top 6%
Successful Take-On %
100.0%
Top 6%
Blocks
1.83
Top 10%
Touches (Mid 3rd)
44.47
Top 10%
Aerials Won
1.52
Top 10%
Goals/Shot
0.33
Top 14%
Passes Completed (Medium)
25.13
Top 14%
Passes Attempted (Medium)
27.87
Top 14%
Live-ball Passes
61.37
Top 14%
Total Carrying Distance
218.22
Top 14%
In other words, the former Liverpool target is an extremely well-rounded six, and with numbers like these, plus the eye-test, it’s easy to see why club insider AFC Camdem has dubbed him the Gunners’ “signing of the summer.”
Ultimately, missing Odegaard is far from ideal, but by bringing Zubimendi back into Arsenal’s starting lineup, Arteta will allow Rice and Eze to be more expressive and attacking, which should help them collect three points.
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