"They better turn up", "Disrespectful from Arteta" - Fans react as Arsenal name 'heavily rotated' XI to face Luton in PL clash
Arsenal fans have questioned Mikel Arteta's decision to heavily rotate his team for their clash with Luton Town tonight (April 3).
Bukayo Saka hasn't even been selected in Arteta's matchday squad while Declan Rice has been put on the bench. The Gunners boss appears to have one eye on his side's UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Bayern Munich (April 9).
Arsenal head into tonight's game at the Emirates in stellar form albeit settling on a point in a dull 0-0 draw against Manchester City last time out. They are unbeaten since December in the league and were on an eight-game winning streak.
However, Arteta's troops were displaced by Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table on the weekend. They are now chasing the Merseysiders who are two points to the good.
Arteta's decision to shuffle his deck against relegation battlers Luton gives several players opportunities to impress. The likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson have been on the fringes of the first team.
Arsenal know how difficult an opposition Rob Edwards Hatters can be as they nearly collapsed at Kenilworth Road in December. It took a last-gasp Rice winner for the north Londoners to win 4-3 but they'll be without the English midfielder tonight.
David Raya starts in goal, with Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, and Oleksandr Zinchenko in defense. The latter Ukrainian left-back will want to catch the eye as Jakub Kiwior has recently taken his spot.
Thomas Partey makes his first start since recovering from a long-term hamstring injury. The Ghanaian midfielder partners Martin Odegaard and Smith Rowe in midfield.
Nelson is in attack alongside Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz who has put a difficult start to his Arsenal career behind him. The German attacker has bagged four goals and two assists in his last five league outings.
However, one rival fan took aim at Arteta for disrespecting tonight's opponents:
"Disrespectful from Arteta, come on Hatters!"
Another fan urged the north Londoners to get the job done:
"They better turn up."
One fan asked what to make of the vast changes:
"What do you think of this heavily rotated side?"
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Arteta's starting XI against Luton:
Luton boss Rob Edwards waxes lyrical about Arsenal defensive duo Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba
Gabriel and Saliba have been instrumental for Arsenal this season. The duo have ensured the Gunners have the best defensive record in the league, conceding just 24 goals in 29 games.
The duo were impressive in their side's 0-0 draw with City. They kept Erling Haaland perhaps the quietest he's been since arriving in the Premier League.
Many regard Gabriel and Saliba as the best defensive partnership in the league. That includes Luton manager Rob Edwards who reckons they have everything required of an elite defensive duo (via Hayters TV):
"I've been really impressed with them. They've got everything, haven't they? They've got physicality, speed, power, but they're very well coached and obviously they understand the game."
Gabriel has been at the Emirates since September 2020 while Saliba arrived a year earlier. Their partnership didn't begin until last season as the latter spent spells on loan at Ligue 1 sides St-Etienne and Marseille.