Arsenal: Three key issues Mikel Arteta must address before Real Madrid showdown | OneFootball

Arteta facing some big decisions ahead of Champions League quarter-final tie

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals next month

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A drab London derby against Chelsea only added to the feeling that Arsenal’s season is now all about their Champions League showdown with Real Madrid.

The gap to Manchester City in fifth is now 10 points with only nine games to go.

It means Arsenal can start to turn their attention towards next month’s Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid.

The Gunners host Real on April 8 at Emirates Stadium, before travelling to Madrid a week later for the second leg.

Here, Standard Sport takes a look at some of the big calls Arteta faces before then…

Does Arteta stick or twist with Mikel Merino?

When Arsenal signed Merino last summer, Arteta would never have imagined one of his dilemmas would be whether to start the midfield as a striker in a Champions League quarter-final.

Arteta has been forced to use Merino as an emergency No9 for the last month with Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz are out for the rest of the season due to injury.

Mikel Merino scored the winner against Chelsea as he showed his worth as a makeshift No9

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Merino has done a solid job since being moved up top, scoring four goals and laying on one assist in seven games.

Arsenal’s injuries are easing in attack, however, and Gabriel Martinelli is now back. Bukayo Saka should return next month, too.

It would leave Arteta with five forwards to pick from, if you include Ethan Nwaneri among the options.

Leandro Trossard, as he did last season, could play as a ‘false nine’ with Martinelli and Saka flanking him out wide.

Arteta may be tempted to stick with Merino, though, as he does give Arsenal a focal point in attack.

When it comes to physical profile, he is the closest player the Gunners have in the squad to Havertz and keeping that continuity of style may work best for the team.

What does Arteta do with Ben White?

Arsenal have been carefully managing Ben White’s minutes since he returned to action last month.

Before that, the right-back had been out since November after undergoing knee surgery.

White has managed three appearances off the bench and one start since his comeback, playing for a total of 101 minutes.

Ben White is fit again after a spell out following knee surgery

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England boss Thomas Tuchel did not call up White this month and it means he can build up his fitness during that time.

Jurrien Timber has excelled at right-back in the 27-year-old’s absence and Arteta faces a dilemma about how he gets White in the team.

Arteta could look to use White off the bench or a tempting option will be to shift Timber to left-back, although that would mean dropping Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Arsenal have played with Timber and White as the full-backs this season on six occasions and it has proved effective. In those games, they kept four clean sheets and conceded just twice.

Against a lethal Real Madrid attack, Arteta could be tempted to have his four best out-and-out defenders in Gabriel, Timber, White and William Saliba on the pitch together.

How does Arteta get more from set-pieces?

Arsenal were almost ridiculed for their use of set-pieces earlier in the season, but Sunday’s victory over Chelsea underlined the importance of them.

In a tetchy game, where Arsenal were struggling to create, Merino headed home a corner to secure all three points.

Set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has time to work on some new routines before the first leg against Real Madrid on April 8

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Before that, the Gunners had gone 12 games in all competitions without a goal from a set-piece. It’s almost unthinkable, given in the first 21 Premier League games of this season they scored 12 times from set-pieces.

Given Arsenal’s injury issues in attack, in particular the fact they will have no recognised striker for the rest of the campaign, set-pieces are more important than ever.

Crucially, they now have a big gap until their next game on April 1 - when they host Fulham. Set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has the rare luxury of time to think of new .

Saka, who is one of Arsenal’s corner takers, is also due to return next month and the quality of his delivery should see the Gunners’ success rate from set-pieces rise.