Arsenal news: Unai Emery insists all four of his senior strikers have an important role to play this season

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has insisted that all four of his senior strikers have an important role to play at the club this season, as the Spaniard continues to experiment with his starting line-up ahead of tomorrow’s visit of Everton.

Emery named a stronger than expected starting XI for Thursday night’s Europa League match against Vorskla Poltava and was rewarded with a fine performance from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who scored two goals in the routine 4-2 win.

The forward made a slow start to the season, failing to find the back of the net in August, but now has three goals in his last three appearances, particularly impressing through the middle against Vorskla having started Arsenal’s last two games out on the wing.

His strong showing at centre forward poses Emery something of a selection headache, especially considering how well Alexandre Lacazette has played since coming into the team against Cardiff, as well as Danny Welbeck’s good form.

But Emery has insisted all three – along with 19-year-old academy product Eddie Nketiah – have an integral role to play as he continues experimenting with his starting line-up.

“I am very happy to have all of these strikers for us,” Emery commented ahead of the club’s return to Premier League action.

“Aubameyang needs confidence and to continue finding his best performance. But also I have a lot of confidence in Lacazette. Also Welbeck and Nketiah.

“They are our strikers and I will work with all of them, and give them my confidence. We will give them the best possibilities in the attacking moment to score.”

Perhaps of more immediate concern to Emery is his side’s defence, particularly after some sloppy defending allowed a sub-par Vorskla side to claim two unlikely consolation goals on Thursday night.

Arsenal’s defending in the Premier League hasn’t been much better, with the club failing to keep a clean sheet in their opening five games of a top-flight season for the first time since 1988/89.

And Emery added that his side are in the process of adjusting their approach as they look to tighten up at the back.

“I am confident with our defensive players,” he said. “But we are working tactically to be more compact, not only for our defensive players but for all of our team, the entire first XI and the rest of the players. This process will take time.

“We need players, although I think [against Vorskla] the players played how we want and will take more rhythm and more minutes forward with them. On Sunday I think I will have many options to choose the best first XI, and also I think we have players who can help then having started this match.”

Emery’s options however look unlikely to include both Lucas Torreira and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who picked up knocks during Arsenal’s first Europa League match of the season.

Torreira was spotted with an ice pack on his knee after being withdrawn in the second-half and may be forced to wait for his first Premier League start, while Mkhitaryan is understood to have suffered an injury to his right ankle despite completing the full ninety minutes.

The pair join defenders Sead Kolasinac, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Laurent Koscielny on the treatment table, with Mattéo Guendouzi and Granit Xhaka likely to retain their places in defensive midfield.

Arsenal expected XI: Cech; Bellerin, Mustafi, Sokratis, Monreal; Guendouzi, Xhaka; Ozil, Ramsey, Aubameyang; Lacazette.