It’s been a long time since the mood around Arsenal has been this positive.

Mikel Arteta’s side are through to the quarter-finals of the League Cup, flying high in the Champions League and currently top of the Premier League.

Moreover, even with the injustices they’ve had to contend with, the Gunners have looked far and away the most assured and confident team in the country.

However, the North Londoners cannot rest on their laurels and have the chance to put more pressure on their rivals with a game against Burnley this afternoon. To ensure his side gets all three points, Arteta must drop one of those who starred on Wednesday night.

The changes Arteta should make for Burnley

Starting at the sharp end of the pitch, and for as well as they did against the Seagulls, Arteta should obviously take Andre Harriman-Annous and Max Dowman out of the team for Viktor Gyokeres and Bukayo Saka.

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The latter is simply the side’s talisman, and the former, while he hasn’t scored enough in the league, does stretch opposition defences and create space for his teammates.

On the left, with Gabriel Martinelli confirmed to be out of contention, it would make sense to bring Leandro Trossard back into the team and move Eberechi Eze back into the midfield.

The former Crystal Palace star scored last time out in the league, and while Ethan Nwaneri looked good on Wednesday, Arteta will want more of a controller in the middle of the park in Martin Odegaard’s absence.

Coming into the midfield alongside the 27-year-old has to be Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi, as the former’s deadball wizardry should come in handy against a Clarets side that will likely sit deep, and the latter could help kickstart attacks from deep.

Finally, while they performed well in the week, Arteta should consider replacing most of his defensive unit for this game.

While David Raya, Jurrien Timber, and Gabriel Magehele pick themselves, the manager will have a decision to make for his second centre-back, as William Saliba remains a doubt for the game.

Fortunately, Cristhian Mosquera has been incredible this year, and therefore should start a second game in succession, as risking the Frenchman at this point would be foolish.

Last but not least, Arteta has a decision to make at left-back.

Arteta must start Arsenal's player of the season

It might sound harsh considering his sensational performance against Brighton, in which he provided an assist, but Arteta should drop Myles Lewis-Skelly, who club insider Hand of Arsenal has dubbed a “future captain,” for Riccardo Calafiori.

There are a few reasons why he should make this decision, but the primary one is the simple fact that the Italian has, in the words of Ray Parlour, one of Arsenal’s “players of the season.”

After a disappointing campaign last year, in which he was blighted by injury, the Italian international has come back like a man possessed so far this year and become a key part of the team in defence and attack.

For example, he has played in every league game so far, helping the team concede just three goals.

Additionally, he scored the only goal in the match against Manchester United and provided two assists against Leeds United for good measure.

Moreover, even though Arteta has a reputation for being a somewhat conservative coach, he allows the former Bologna star to maraud all over the pitch, so much so that the Telegraph’s Sam Dean described him as a “wild horse” and journalist James Benge called him “the most electrifying man in sports entertainment.”

Such appraisals of the 23-year-old are proven accurate by simply watching him play, but they are also more than backed up by his underlying numbers.

Shots Total

2.20

Top 1%

GCA (Defensive Action)

0.13

Top 1%

xG: Expected Goals

0.25

Top 4%

npxG: Non-Penalty xG

0.25

Top 4%

SCA (Fouls Drawn)

0.26

Top 4%

GCA (Shot)

0.13

Top 4%

Goals + Assists

0.39

Top 7%

npxG + xAG

0.31

Top 7%

SCA (Shot)

0.39

Top 7%

Goal-Creating Actions

0.65

Top 7%

Touches (Att Pen)

3.50

Top 7%

SCA (Defensive Action)

0.13

Top 10%

Assists

0.26

Top 13%

npxG/Shot

0.11

Top 16%

GCA (Live-ball Pass)

0.39

Top 16%

Goals

0.13

Top 19%

Non-Penalty Goals

0.13

Top 19%

Passes Completed (Medium)

18.78

Top 19%

For example, FBref ranks him in the top 1% of full-backs in the league for total shots, the top 4% for expected goals, the top 7% for goals plus assists, the top 10% for touches in the opposition’s penalty area and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while dropping Lewis-Skelly might seem harsh, Arteta simply has to start Calafiori in the league, as he has been nothing short of sensational this season.