"Image source, Getty Images A player dropping out of the warm-up before a game is something Mikel Arteta has had to get used to this season. When Riccardo Calafiori pulled out before Arsenal's game with Wigan on Sunday, it was the third time in this campaign that this had happened to the Gunners before a match. But on this occasion, Arteta gave a glimpse of what could be the next evolution of the Arsenal attack - Bukayo Saka playing as a number 10."
"Myles Lewis-Skelly, who was pencilled in to start in midfield, was moved to left-back and Saka, who is building up his fitness after a hip issue, was brought into the number 10 role. In part, Arteta's decision to play Saka there is down to the midfield injury issues that the Gunners are currently facing. Captain Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino, the other go-to midfield options in the squad, are all injured and Ethan Nwaneri is on loan at Marseille."
Mikel Arteta has faced multiple warm-up withdrawals this season, with Riccardo Calafiori pulling out before the Wigan game. Arteta moved Myles Lewis-Skelly to left-back and played Bukayo Saka as a number 10 while Saka builds fitness after a hip issue. The change reflects a shortage of midfield options, with Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino injured and Ethan Nwaneri on loan. Saka previously played centrally in the 2020 lockdown season, hitting the crossbar and providing an assist. The 24-year-old has seven goals and seven assists from 33 appearances and threatens through tight-space control and positional interchanges with Noni Madueke.
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