Arsenal sit in a position that demands tough choices. The first is captaincy. Declan Rice, described here as a more natural on-field leader, the more ruthless competitor and the more likely to impose himself more effectively on opponents, is argued to be the warrior the team needs. Martin Ødegaard is acknowledged as a fine role model, more of a club captain, and undeniably represents them well, but the claim is that Arsenal need a warrior not an ambassador as they fight to stay ahead in the Premier League title race.

The writer reports speaking privately to Rice at an awards ceremony last month and says Rice knows how big 2026 could be for him for club and country. “I have never seen him looking so lean, hungry and determined.” Rice is described as a team man and “100% behind Ødegaard” but the subject of the armband, the piece argues, needs to be broached.

Players and staff were consulted in pre-season and the overwhelming verdict was Ødegaard. “By a mile,” the manager Mikel Arteta said at the time, “by a big, big 100 miles, everybody is choosing the same person, which is Martin Ødegaard.” The argument here is that when the margins are so fine, Arsenal cannot worry about wounded pride and must prioritise a captain who imposes himself.

The article notes that Ødegaard is also captain of Norway and that Arteta’s system may limit him. It records concrete outputs: one goal this season, five assists in 22 appearances, and injuries to shoulder and knee. It also details how Arteta has often substituted his captain: Ødegaard has not played a full 90 minutes in 2026 and was taken off at key moments in matches against Bournemouth, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, and was on the bench for the Champions League win over Inter.

The second change urged is giving Eberechi Eze a sustained run. The piece notes Eze grew up an Arsenal fan, has been “emotionally overwhelmed” at joining, and still has five goals and four assists in 28 appearances. The argument is that Eze needs starts, confidence and belief to become the focal point in place of Ødegaard.

Finally, the writer calls on the crowd to be more supportive, criticises the pre-match mood and the pre-match song “North London Forever” as not rousing, and cites nervousness rooted in desperate hope after years without a title since 2004.

Viktor Gyökeres began his first season at Arsenal under intense scrutiny and that spotlight intensified when Mikel Arteta left him on the bench for the trip to Manchester United. The transfer outlay that accompanied his arrival left expectations that he would immediately become Arteta’s No. 1 striker and lead the club’s push for a first Premier League title in 22 years.

Arsenal sit four points clear of Manchester City in second ahead of the clash with old rivals United, yet Gyökeres’s direct influence has been modest. In 20 Premier League games he has scored five goals. Three of those arrived in the first four weeks of the season and came against Leeds United and Nottingham Forest. His other league strikes came against Burnley and Everton. Burnley sit 19th and Everton 11th in the table. Two of his five Premier League goals have been penalties.

Gyökeres has often occupied himself wrestling opposition centre backs or running into the channels to get involved. Arsenal’s build-up play has historically come through central midfield or out wide, with Kai Havertz operating as a deep-lying centre forward in 2024–25. The team have not yet adjusted fully to Gyökeres’s strengths and he is not taking enough shots at goal to force his way into an indisputable starting role.

Another factor behind Arteta’s selection was Gabriel Jesus’s return from an 11-month injury absence and his public desire to remain at the Emirates. Two goals against Inter in a 3–1 Champions League win midweek gave Jesus the nod here. Gyökeres did net as well for his ninth goal across all competitions, but Arteta favoured the more experienced option for this occasion.

The consequence is that Gyökeres “doesn’t yet have the trust of his manager and he’s not yet viewed as a player who’s a “must start.” There is no suggestion his immediate future is in doubt. Arteta has said all the right things when it comes to giving him time to settle and fully integrate, so it seems unlikely he will be cast aside.

Starting XI: David Raya, Jurriën Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel, Piero Hincapié, Martin Ødegaard, Martín Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard.

Substitutes: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyökeres.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said the confrontation between Declan Rice and a member of the coaching staff after the Carabao Cup victory over Chelsea has been settled.

The incident unfolded as the team prepared to leave the tunnel. A clearly frustrated Rice was seen gesturing and shouting at Stuivenberg, and a few steps of separation did not reduce the visible tension.

Centre back Gabriel moved between Rice and Stuivenberg to act as a peacemaker and to try to defuse the situation. The Daily Mail brought the clip to the attention of an expert lip-reader, Jeremy Freeman, who claimed Rice told Stuivenberg to “just go,” before telling Gabriel the coach “does not know what he’s on about.” Gabriel told Rice to “calm down” and the situation ultimately soothed.

Ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Nottingham Forest, Arteta was asked for an explanation of the episode. He declined to expand and said: “All sorted, all good.” When pressed on whether the exchange was a sign of Rice’s determination to succeed, Arteta added: “Yes, and the good thing is that by the time I found out the problem was resolved so that’s very good.”

Arteta’s comments confirmed the issue was handled internally and that no further action would be disclosed. The sequence of events — a tunnel confrontation after the Carabao Cup win, Gabriel intervening, lip-reading claims about Rice’s words, and Arteta’s public reassurance ahead of the Nottingham Forest match — forms the complete account presented by the club and media coverage.