Arsenal take on their hated North London rivals on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League, and Mikel Arteta has a number of important team selection decisions to make ahead of the clash.
Wolves dented the Gunners’ title hopes on Wednesday night, scoring a 94th-minute equaliser to salvage a point at Molineux. Unsurprisingly, Arsenal have received widespread criticism for their display against the Old Gold, with many now scrutinising their credentials as Champions.
The North London outfit now have an opportunity to respond to these critics when they travel to N17 on Sunday. Tottenham Hotspur have been in dismal form over the last couple of months, and are expected to be without 12 first-team players for the visit of the Gunners.
With Spurs’ list of issues significantly more extensive than Arsenal’s, Paul Merson has tipped his former club to come away with all three points.
Paul Merson urges Mikel Arteta to start star in Tottenham vs Arsenal
In an unconventional move, Arteta opted to start Bukayo Saka as a number ten against Wolves. While the England international, who signed a lucrative new contract on Thursday, scored in the West Midlands, the experiment ultimately failed to pay dividends.
Writing for Sportskeeda, divisive pundit Merson described this selection decision from Arteta as ‘strange’.
“I find it strange that Eberechi Eze did not start as the no.10 against Wolves,” he wrote.
“He was brought in to do that. Then why did he not start the game? Mikel Arteta used Bukayo Saka as a no.10 instead. He’s not suited to play there because he’s a proper winger.”
This bizarre ploy from Arteta backfired, and Merson is subsequently urging Arteta to change this at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The ex-Gunners star has urged the Spaniard to select Eze as the attacking midfielder from the start.
“I won’t be surprised if Saka goes to the wing and Eze comes on for Madueke in this game. For me, Eze has to play as the no.10 against Spurs.
“He’s good in tight spaces and is better than Saka in that role. I’m expecting Arsenal to win, but I won’t be shocked if they failed to either. It just seems like they can’t open teams up anymore.”
Paul Merson laments ‘hot and cold’ Noni Madueke
Noni Madueke was a beneficiary of Arteta’s decision to utilise Saka centrally, as the former Chelsea man kept his place on the right-hand side of Arsenal’s attack. While the 23-year-old produced a handful of dangerous moments in the clash with Rob Edwards’ men, it was ultimately another hit-and-miss display from him.
Merson vented his frustration over Madueke’s inconsistencies throughout games, dubbing him ‘very hot and cold’.
| Noni Madueke’s Premier League Statistics 2024/25 | |
| Appearances | 32 |
| Goals | 7 |
| Assists | 3 |
| Shots per 90 | 3.54 |
| Expected Goals per 90 | 0.42 |
| Key Passes per 90 | 1.42 |
| Expected Assists per 90 | 0.19 |
“Noni Madueke also started against Wolves, and he’s very hot and cold,” he added.
“He will do something amazing, and the next thing he does would make you go, ‘Why did he do that?’. Madueke is very direct, but he has to mix it up. You can’t be direct all the time. He has still done better than what I expected this season though.”
Madueke is certainly a box of chocolates at the moment. His ability to beat a man makes him a constant danger, but he has just nine goal contributions in all competitions this term to show for it.
The Englishman will likely drop to the bench for the visit to Tottenham.
