Importance Score: 20 / 100 🔵
Arsenal will face the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain without Thomas Partey. Some fans were initially confused over why the midfielder would be banned for the game at the Emirates Stadium.
The television broadcast initially did not show the incident for which Partey received a yellow card against Real Madrid, which was his third of the competition and rules him out against PSG. However, new footage shows that the 31-year-old was booked for shoving Dani Ceballos as he attempted to retrieve the ball following a foul by Antonio Rudiger. The cameras were instead focused on the yellow card Rudiger was receiving for the cynical challenge.
Mikel Arteta will likely pick Jorginho at the base of midfielder if the Italian recovers in time from an injury. Mikel Merino dropping back from his makeshift centre-forward role is an alternative solution, but the Arsenal boss has some left-field options. Express Sport explores four of them.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Zinchenko started his career as a No. 10 in Ukraine and Russia, before being moved gradually further back by Pep Guardiola after he joined Manchester City. Arteta has recently used the Ukrainian in midfield with Kieran Tierney at left-back when he has shuffled his pack in the Premier League ahead of Champions League matches.
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The 28-year-old would be a solid option to start in midfield if Arteta wants to try someone different to Jorginho.
Ethan Nwaneri
Nwaneri has generally played on the right of Arsenal’s forward line this season. However, he has previously played as a No. 10 and No. 8. If Declan Rice is moved into a deeper midfield role, Nwaneri could start alongside Martin Odegaard.
Bukayo Saka’s return from a hamstring injury means Nwaneri’s game time could be limited in the final month of the season – but the opportunity to play in midfield could present itself.
Myles Lewis-Skelly
Like Zinchenko, Lewis-Skelly spent his formative years as a midfielder before he was converted into a left-back. The teenager has shone this season, keeping Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori on the bench for some of the biggest games.
Lewis-Skelly will likely start at left-back against PSG but there is scope for him to move into midfield if Arteta trusts him to play the role in a Champions League semi-final. The newly-capped England midfielder would surely look just as comfortable in the middle of the pitch as he does on the left side of the back four.
Riccardo Calafiori
Despite rarely playing in midfield, Calafiori is keen to learn the position and could be the most left-field option for Arteta when the Spaniard picks his team to face PSG. The Italy international currently has a knee injury but may be fit for next Tuesday’s match.
Speaking during the March international break, Calafiori said: “There are many things I still don’t know how to do. I want to keep learning to play in as many different roles as possible. For now, I know two, but have always been passionate about midfielders and would love to learn how to play there.”
With other players ahead of the £42m signing at centre-back and left-back, Calafiori could carve out a future in midfield.