Arsenal travel to Manchester City on Wednesday evening in a potentially season-defining title clash, with Mikel Arteta no doubt desperately searching for ways to stop the prolific Erling Haaland.
Does Arteta need to make defensive changes at Arsenal?
The Gunners have struggled immensely from a defensive perspective following the injury to William Saliba, with Rob Holding so far proving an inadequate replacement for the Frenchman alongside Gabriel in the heart of Arsenal's defence.
It is often said that attack wins you games and defence wins you titles and right now Arsenal's defence is far from good enough, with no clean sheets in their last five Premier League games, which has included damaging draws against Liverpool, West Ham United and Southampton.
Holding has been a big reason behind those defensive difficulties, as his woeful average rating of 6.26 from WhoScored is a stark contrast to Saliba's strong 6.77 rating this term.
Unfortunately, the French youngster won't be fit for the trip to the Etihad and with the title potentially on the line, Arteta must make changes to his backline if he wants to stop City and the dangerous Haaland.
Should Tierney start against Manchester City?
One potential change could see the Gunners revert to a three-at-the-back formation, with Gabriel and Ben White starting alongside Kieran Tierney at centre-back, with the former Celtic man adopting the role he undertakes on international duty with Scotland.
Steve Clarke was left with a difficult decision when selecting Tierney or Andrew Robertson at left-back for Scotland and now describes the Arsenal man as "the best overlapping centre-back in world football," so it is certainly a role he could perform for the Gunners at the Etihad tonight.
This would free up Oleksandr Zinchenko to play in an inverted wing-back role which could give him more time and space in the midfield, while also ensuring that he isn't left so exposed defensively after struggling in recent weeks, with Bukayo Saka more than capable of playing in a wing-back role on the right.
Tierney's pace could also be crucial on the cover against the explosive Haaland, as Arsenal could find themselves completely overwhelmed if Holding and Gabriel are asked to deal with him, given the former's lack of speed, in particular.
The 25-year-old may have struggled with injuries and consistent form since joining the Gunners but there is no doubting his "warrior" attitude – as per Ashley Cole – which could prove vital in what will be the biggest test of Arsenal's title credentials at the Etihad.
Pep Guardiola's side head into the game as favourites but if Arteta opts to surprise his former mentor by unleashing the "unbelievable" Tierney – as dubbed by Kris Boyd – in a centre-back role, it could just see the Gunners get their title bid back on track with a huge win.
