Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe enjoyed his breakout season last year with 10 Premier League goals from the left and England call-ups. This season, he's yet to start a match.
It's worrying for Gooners who perhaps wondered if the 22-year-old could take his game to another level this term. With the signing of Leandro Trossard, too, it seems as if there's no winning his place back on the left wing of Mikel Arteta's side, with Gabriel Martinelli one of the first names on the team sheet and a Prem-proven option as deputy.
Yet despite the uncertainty going forward for ESR, his place in the team is perhaps clearer than it ever has been – and he could yet be a missing piece.
FourFourTwo asked Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe where he enjoyed playing most at the start of the season…
"I think you’ve just got to adapt," Arsenal's No.10 said when FFT asked him his favourite role on the field. "I don’t think I have a preferred position. We all train in different positions, I’ll train as a false nine, left-wing or midfield. But Mikel is so good, he gives us all the information to help us improve which is good. I’m not too sure where I’m best."
It was clear to see where he was best when Arteta first dropped him into the heat of the Premier League against Chelsea on Boxing Day 2021. In Arsenal's 4-2-3-1 formation, the Hale End graduate slotted in as a playmaker behind the No.9 for much of his first season – but over time, he's moved out to the left-hand side for the Gunners. That's where he played most often last season.
But the plan has been clearer ever since Martinelli took that left-hand berth from him. Against Bournemouth at the start of the season, Smith Rowe replaced captain Martin Odegaard as Arsenal semi-switched back to the 4-2-3-1 with Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka forming more of a double-pivot midfield that looked fluid.
Injury disrupted Smith Rowe's progress on from there but against Oxford United in the FA Cup, he made his return for the Gunners in a similar position.
The ultimate plan could see Smith Rowe in midfield
Arsenal have tried using Emile Smith Rowe in midfield – namely at home to Brighton last season in a drab home loss. Since that, however, plenty has changed.
Smith Rowe still has everything needed to make it as a good midfielder. His close control is excellent, he drives forward with purpose, he can arrive late in the box and his ball-striking is excellent. There are comparisons stylistically with Jamal Musiala at Bayern Munich.
And though it hasn't been an experiment that has worked thus far, Arsenal are a different beast now. Oleksandr Zinchenko has arrived to act as another midfielder in possession for the Gunners, while Thomas Partey has ascended to become arguably the most important defensive midfielder to any team in Europe. Watch Granit Xhaka this season, roaming, creating and scoring plenty: that's exactly the role that ESR was born to play.
Could it actually make Arsenal even better with him in there? When Smith Rowe was an important No.10 to Arsenal, he drifted laterally, combining with Bukayo Saka on the right, while linking up with Martinelli on the left. Using him as a roaming playmaker alongside Odegaard could well have a similar effect.
The best team in the league so far this season might just have a secret weapon to improve them for the second half…
