Arsenal's 'Number 9' Conundrum in Chelsea's Defense

LONDON, SATURDAY — Three matches without a win in the English Premier League seem to provide a temporary conclusion for Arsenal. The trio led by makeshift striker Mikel Merino has not been particularly effective in solving problems in the attacking line. The return of striker Gabriel Martinelli could be the answer in the London derby.

Arsenal will host their city rival Chelsea at Emirates Stadium, London, on Sunday (16/3/2025) at 8:30 PM WIB. "The Gunners," currently in second place with 55 points, need a victory to distance themselves from the pursuit of top-tier teams, including Chelsea, who are just six points behind.

The problem is, Arsenal is still struggling to score goals. They have only managed to score one goal in three league matches. Due to the striker crisis, manager Mikel Arteta has consistently used the same trio in all those games: Merino as the central forward, with Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri on the wings.

Merino, originally positioned as a midfielder, serves as an emergency solution. However, he turned out to be not very effective when playing from the start of the match. Merino has yet to replicate the exceptional performance he displayed during his debut as a striker against Leicester City. He scored a pair of goals when he was brought in from the bench at that time.

Arteta appears to need a refresh. Coincidentally, the attacking options have increased ahead of the derby. Martinelli has returned from a thigh injury, having briefly appeared as a cameo against Manchester United and PSV Eindhoven. The manager is currently considering the right time to reinstate Martinelli into the starting lineup.

"Now we have more options, but we must carefully manage his (Martinelli's) playing load. He returned slightly earlier than initially expected, and we don't want to burden him with too many minutes," explained Arteta regarding the risk of altering the attacking trio in the upcoming derby.

For Arsenal, the best option is to return Martinelli to the wing position. Trossard takes on the role of an emergency central striker. Trossard, who can play in all positions of the attacking trident, is already accustomed to being a "number 9." He has started in that position 12 times since 2022, successfully scoring three goals and providing eight assists.

Martinelli can actually play in a central position. The difference is, he doesn't have the ability to drop back into midfield to build attacks like Trossard. Merino always helps attacks from the middle of the field, but can't switch positions with wingers. Trossard and Martinelli can do that.

Trossard is also the best option at the moment as a spearhead. The only weakness of the Belgian national team striker is only aerial duels. Arteta relies heavily on crosses. However, the hole is still filled by entering Merino from the reserves when the situation is urgent.

With Merino who is good at fighting in the air, Arsenal's attacks are often too monotonous. "The Cannon" often forces crosses even though they are ineffective. They do that because they have no choice. Now, Arteta has another alternative. It all depends on the manager's decision.

Chelsea also have similar problems due to striker Nicolas Jackson being injured. "It's a bit strange that both teams have the same fate because of the injury problems. They are trying different solutions, we are too. Pedro (Neto) since we tried him (as a center forward) did very well," said Chelsea Head Coach Enzo Maresca.

Neto, originally a winger, has played three times as the spearhead of the “Blues” in the league. He performed quite well by contributing one goal and two assists. Rather than a striker crisis, Chelsea's biggest problem is the performance of midfielder Cole Palmer who has not contributed a goal or assist for the past two months.

The last London derby at the Emirates Stadium ended in tragedy for Chelsea. Arsenal won by five goals to nil. However, that was the story of last season. Chelsea came with a different manager and a much better performance trend. In contrast, the hosts should be more worried because of a series of poor results in the league.

"I think it will be a very different game," Arteta said when asked about last season's big win. "The way they have developed as a team has been very impressive. Both teams will want to dominate (possession), play very aggressively and press high," he added.

Chelsea (58.2 percent) and Arsenal (56.5 percent) are in the top five teams with the most ball possession. Despite being superior in that statistic, Maresca is not too confident that his team will dominate the ball. The home game factor is very influential, especially for Arsenal who have only lost once at the Emirates Stadium.

Maresca tried to prepare a surprise with less possession. Chelsea have players who are good at transition, such as Jadon Sancho. "When they press high and try to be aggressive, we will have more space to attack directly from the back," he concluded. (AP/REUTERS)