Arteta could unleash rarely-seen ‘Rolls-Royce’ for Arsenal v Newcastle, fans should be excited – TBR View

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Arsenal might have experienced a harsh reality check last week, but the Gunners are on track and doing well for the most part.

Mikel Arteta’s charges endured a terrible August but, following the September international break, got themselves together.

Arsenal’s starting XI very much picks itself now, but the fixtures will soon start to pile up, so Arteta has some thinking to do.

The Gunners host Newcastle today, then they take on Manchester United next Thursday and Everton – both away – the following Monday.

And then, the festive schedule kicks in – between 11 December and 1 January, Arsenal have seven games in all competitions.

Arteta could well be thinking about rotating his starting line-up to keep his players fresh and keeping suspensions at bay.

Albert Sambi Lokonga is walking a suspension tightrope at present – he has four yellow cards, and a fifth one would see him get a one-game ban.

Given Manchester United await Arsenal next week, it would be a risk to play him against Newcastle in case he gets ruled out against the Red Devils.

Lokonga also struggled against Liverpool, so it would be a good opportunity to rest him and give Ainsley Maitland-Niles a chance.

The 24-year-old came close to leaving the Emirates in the summer, but he stayed put after clear-the-air talks with Arteta.

Maitland-Niles has still been struggling for game time this season, but he started against Watford and did really well.

And against Liverpool, he came on for Lokonga early in the second half and brought composure to the midfield.

Maitland-Niles is a quality player – Peter Crouch has previously deemed him “tremendous” and “fantastic”, while Martin Keown has called him a “Rolls Royce”.

He could finally get an extended run in the Arsenal starting XI in the coming weeks, and it makes sense to start him against Newcastle.