Arsenal are set to face Aston Villa on Sunday, and with the game sandwiched between two clashes with Bayern Munich, it may be time to rotate.
Mikel Arteta’s side drew 2-2 with the German giants on Tuesday, and have everything to play for in the return leg in Munich on Wednesday as they aim to reach the Champions League semi-finals.
However, they are competing on two fronts, as Arsenal are currently on top of the Premier League with seven games to go, and they will need to find the right balance with team selection to ensure that they do not suffer burnout or injuries during the run-in.
Arsenal’s match against Bayern was an exhausting one, and it has already been suggested that Ben White could drop out of the team against Villa to keep him fresh for the second leg. This may also be necessary for midfield veteran Jorginho.
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Mikel Arteta should bring in Thomas Partey for Jorginho in Arsenal vs Aston Villa
Arsenal’s clash with Aston Villa will see them come up against former manager Unai Emery, and his team contains a lot of pace on the counter attack.
Jorginho started three of the last four games, and played for 90 minutes against Brighton before starting against Bayern Munich, a game in which he was ineffectual off the ball.
Thomas Partey came on in the late stages, and whilst he did have some shaky moments, he showed his quality as he threaded a through-ball to Bukayo Saka, which should arguably have led to a penalty.
Partey is still some way off full fitness, and this could be the perfect game for him to build up more momentum ahead of the run-in, and allow Jorginho to rest before returning against Bayern.
Mikel Arteta needs to rotate his midfield in the coming weeks
Partey’s potential involvement in the final two months of the season has been described as “crucial,” as having a midfielder with his quality and experience available could be a big boost.
Jorginho has been superb in his absence, but his physical limitations did show against Bayern, and perhaps a full rest is needed before he heads into a crunch fixture at the Allianz Arena.
Partey will be particularly useful in away games against more physical opposition, and he may be more suitable than Jorginho for stopping the likes of Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey on the counter attack in the Villa clash, whilst also building up further match fitness.