Arteta could now start ‘very fast’ 23-year-old for Arsenal tonight, he’s got so much potential – TBR View
Arsenal will hope to clinch qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League when they host Lens on Wednesday night.
The Gunners need just one point to reach the last 16 of the tournament. And they’ll want to get the better of the only team to beat them in the competition thus far.
With fixtures coming in thick and fast, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will need to manage his players’ game time. The Gunners have nine games between now and New Year’s Eve.
Gabriel Magalhaes is a player who could do with having a bit of a rest. Even though he did well against Brentford, he has had a busy couple of weeks along with his international efforts with Brazil.
With that in mind, Arteta could well look to rest Gabriel and start Jakub Kiwior as the left-sided centre-back against Lens.
Alternatively, the 23-year-old could even be an option at left-back. Football.london‘s Kaya Kaynak made the suggestion when predicting Arsenal’s XI against Lens.
“I think maybe bringing Jakub Kiwior in at left-back to cope with the threat of Lens’ wingbacks is a good idea, especially given Oleksandr Zinchenko’s fitness,” he wrote.
The ‘very fast’ £20million signing has done fairly well when called upon and has so much potential, so he’d certainly be a good shout to start for the Gunners against Lens.
It would be a good opportunity for him to stake a claim for more regular Premier League starts too, not to mention just getting minutes under his belt to keep him fully match-sharp.
With the festive period bringing forth a lot of football, getting the balance right between resting key players and keeping fringe players match-sharp and confident is key.
In addition, with clubs reportedly after Kiwior in the January transfer window, handing him a start in the Champions League wouldn’t be a bad thing in terms of lessening the chances of his head being turned.
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