Arsenal's Right Flank Dilemma Ahead of Anfield Showdown
Mikel Arteta walked into his pre‑Anfield press conference with that familiar half‑smile and full armour. Questions flew about Arsenal’s right flank. Answers, predictably, did not.
“We don’t know yet,” he said, when Noni Madueke’s name came up. Classic Arteta. Clarity on some, mystery on others.
On one side of the ledger, there was good news. Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori and Christos Tzolis all trained on Friday and are expected to be available for the trip to Liverpool. On the other, the right wing remains a puzzle at the worst possible time.
Bukayo Saka is already out with a quad injury. Max Dowman begins a three‑match suspension after Arsenal failed to overturn his red card against Fleetwood. That leaves Arteta staring at a depth chart that thins alarmingly as the stakes rise.
At Anfield, of all places, he may have to improvise.
Madueke: The First — and Only Natural — Choice
This is the scenario Arteta wants: Madueke passes his final test in training and starts on the right. Simple. Logical. Familiar.
Since the last international break, Madueke has finally begun to look like a real weapon. He has carried threat on both flanks, driving at full-backs with conviction and giving Arsenal a directness they badly need without Saka.
He unsettled Everton, stretching the game and forcing defenders to turn. Against Leeds earlier this month, it was his cross that dragged Arsenal back into the contest. Those are the moments managers cling to when weighing risk versus reward.
In this squad, stripped of Saka and Dowman, Madueke is the only natural right winger available. No one else offers that blend of width, one‑v‑one ability and familiarity with the role. Arteta knows it. He will be desperate to name him in the XI.
But that ankle.
It kept Madueke out against Fleetwood and is still being managed carefully. Arsenal will leave it as late as possible, with one final session to gauge his readiness.
“We don’t know yet,” Arteta said on Friday. “We have a training session tomorrow. [Let’s] see if he can complete that full session tomorrow, and after that we’ll know whether he’s available or not.”
The expectation inside the club is that he travels to Merseyside. Whether he starts at one of the most demanding venues in English football is another matter entirely.
Tzolis: A Gamble in the Cauldron
If Madueke does not make it, the conversation changes tone. Experiment turns into necessity.
Christos Tzolis is back. Sort of. The winger has not played a single minute for Arsenal since pulling his hamstring with Greece on October 1. He only returned to full training on Friday. From there to Anfield’s intensity is a huge leap.
Starting him in any position at Liverpool would be a bold call. Starting him on the right would be bolder still.
Tzolis is, by trade and by design, a left winger. Every appearance for Arsenal so far has come from that flank. It is why he was signed in the summer, as Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli departed and the club reshaped its wide options.
Yet his career history offers a sliver of reassurance. Tzolis has operated on the right before, including a standout night for Club Brugge last season when he started on that side and scored in a Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid. Across his career, he has made 26 appearances as a right winger.
So the role is not alien. Just unfamiliar in an Arsenal shirt.
If Madueke is ruled out, the decision on Tzolis becomes less about tactics and almost entirely about fitness. Can a player with no minutes in a month and a half be thrown straight into the starting XI at Anfield and be expected to last, and to press, and to sprint repeatedly against Liverpool’s full-backs?
Arteta has taken risks before. This one would be right on the edge.
Havertz: The Emergency Switch
Strip away all three right‑wing options and the picture turns stark.
No Saka. No Dowman. No Madueke. If Tzolis is deemed not ready to start, Arteta reaches the “break glass in case of emergency” section of his plan. That is where Kai Havertz comes in.
Arteta has shown a stubborn loyalty to his preferred 4‑3‑3 structure. He rarely tears it up, even under pressure. That suggests he would look for a like‑for‑like positional solution rather than a wholesale system change.
Havertz on the right would not be a traditional winger’s answer. It would be a compromise, built on movement and work rate more than chalk‑on‑the‑boots width.
In possession, Havertz could drift inside, operating almost as a second striker off Viktor Gyokeres, popping up in pockets between the lines rather than hugging the touchline. The right‑back could then provide the width, with Havertz attacking the box and linking play centrally.
Out of possession, the equation is different. Havertz has the engine and discipline to press and to slot into the defensive shape when Liverpool build attacks. Arteta trusts his tactical understanding and willingness to work, especially in big games.
On current form, that trust is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Havertz would be fortunate to start anywhere in this Arsenal side based purely on recent performances. Yet when Arteta looks down his bench and sees a hole on the right, there are few players he believes in more.
It is far from ideal. It might still be necessary.
Arteta has spent the week dodging direct answers and keeping Liverpool guessing. Behind the scenes, though, the decision tree is brutally clear: hope Madueke makes it, weigh up Tzolis’ readiness, and keep Havertz in reserve as the emergency fix.
At Anfield, where small details often decide big nights, which card he plays on that right flank could say plenty about how far this Arsenal squad has really come.
