Maurizio Sarri yesterday confirmed that Mateo Kovacic would not be fit for today’s game, so it looks as though there is one final chance for Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to put forward their case as his backup.
Barkley has had the mantle through preseason, but in all honesty in the games against the bigger sides he’s really failed to impress. While he has the physicality to play in that box to box midfield role, his quality on the ball just hasn’t been sufficient.
Sarri:
– Fabregas out of Arsenal game
– Hazard to stay this season and not move to Spain
– Sarri wary of Arsenal threat
– Not worried about Morata but he 'needs to score' for confidence
– Kovacic 'not ready' for 90 minutes #cfchttps://t.co/MtPtAsKhtI— Oliver Harbord (@ojharbord) August 17, 2018
Loftus-Cheek has been playing catch up since returning from his post World Cup holiday, but after coming on as a sub last week must be under consideration for a start this time out. He at least deserves a chance to play from the beginning of a game. Barkley has had multiple opportunities this preseason, without too much success.
Whoever has the upper hand in the end will still only be a backup to Kovacic in all likelihood, but they will still end up playing significantly more minutes than whoever ends up stuck as third choice.
