Arsenal might not have the Premier League title in their own hands anymore, but that hasn't deterred them.
Mikel Arteta's side have been almost perfect in their last three games, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers in a potential banana skin away game before seeing off Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in the space of five days to claim bragging rights in the capital.
There were several outstanding performances in the North London Derby from the likes of Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Thomas Partey, but one player who was underwhelming was Leandro Trossard, so ahead of today's must-win game against Bournemouth he must make way.
Leandro Trossard's game vs Tottenham
So, the first thing to say is that while Trossard was certainly poor and should be dropped for today's game, he wasn't dreadful against Spurs, but in a title race, every player has to be firing on all cylinders, and he was not.
Unlike Saka on the right and Havertz down the middle, the Belgian had little to no influence on the attack, and this is something that journalists Evan Bartlett and Tom Ward pulled him up on after the game when they awarded him a 3/10 for his display, writing that he was 'wasteful with the ball' and 'lucky not to be penalised for a trip on Kulusevski.'
While the validity of the Lilywhites' penalty claim is another thing entirely, their argument that the 29-year-old was wasteful and ineffective is borne out in his statistics from the game.
In his 63 minutes of football, he produced a combined expected goal and assists figure of just 0.07, had one shot blocked, took 28 touches, misplaced all three of his crosses, lost 50% of his duels, lost the ball eight times, and was dribbled past once.
Minutes
63'
Expected Goals
0.04
Expected Assists
0.03
Shots on Target
0
Shots off Target
0
Shots Blocks
1
Touches
28
Crosses (Accurate)
3 (0)
Duels (Won)
8 (4)
Lost Possession
8
Dribbled Past
1
In all, while he wasn't a disaster on Sunday, he didn't do enough to keep his place in the team, especially as the player who replaced him actually looked better in his short cameo.
Why Gabriel Martinelli should start vs Bournemouth
Yes, the player who should come in today for Trossard is the same one who replaced him against Spurs: Gabriel Martinelli.
Now, the Brazilian's cameo performance against Spurs isn't the main reason he should start, but it did demonstrate a couple of his best traits: his willingness to dig in and help his team defend and his rapid pace, which had Micky Van de Ven been any other defender, might have resulted in a goal on Sunday.
That second trait is one of the reasons that the 22-year-old should get the nod this afternoon, as his blistering speed could be vital in exploiting the high line that the Cherries have been playing with under Andoni Iraola this season, as without a defender as rapid as Van de Ven this should be much easier to exploit for the former Ituano gem.
Moreover, while the "sensational" left-winger, as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango, is having a disappointing season in terms of raw output when compared to last year, his underlying numbers are still genuinely impressive when compared to the Belgian's, suggesting that he has been quite unlucky this term.
For example, he produces a marginally smaller non-penalty expected goal and assists figure, but produces far more progressive carries, maintains a higher passing accuracy, completed more successful take-ons, miscontrols the ball and is dispossessed less often, wins more aerial duels, and most importantly, produces more goal and shot-creating actions, all per 90.
Non-penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.56
0.58
Progressive Passes
2.90
4.34
Progressive Carries
5.33
3.84
Progressive Passes Received
14.9
8.36
Passing Accuracy
77.8%
72.7%
Shot-Creating Actions
3.99
3.66
Goal-Creating Actions
0.52
0.38
Successful Take-Ons
1.76
1.57
Miscontrols
2.33
2.52
Dispossessed
1.76
2.20
Aerial Duels Won
0.71
0.31
This isn't to say that he hasn't let himself down at points this season, but overall, his performances have not been as poor as some might believe and against a team who like to keep a high line like Bournemouth, Martinelli could add to his slightly meagre goal tally.
Therefore, while Trossard has been crucial in recent weeks, he should be dropped for the talented Brazilian today.
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