New Viktor Gyokeres problem among three Arsenal issues Mikel Arteta must solve before Fulham

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Mikel Arteta has three potential issues he needs to find solutions to as Arsenal return to domestic action against Fulham in the Premier League

The international break has come to a close, and Arsenal are in good shape, despite the injury news that hit the squad last week. Aside from that, the team have been performing well for their respective nations, and Mikel Arteta has some decisions to make.

It has not been completely plain sailing, however, and there are some issues the Spaniard will need to address. From squad selections to checking on the mindset of individual players, Arteta will have his hands full.

With that said, football.london takes a look at all the potential issues from the past week. With the Gunners top of the Premier League table, there can be no room for slip-ups if they want to stay at the head of the race.

Good form raises new questions

For the second international break in a row, Mikel Merino, among other Arsenal stars, has enjoyed a thrilling time away with his national side. Two goals in a win over Bulgaria leave the midfielder sitting third in the World Cup qualifiers scoring charts, ahead of the tournament next year, with six in four games.

Arteta started Merino against Nottingham Forest following his scoring escapades in September. Now, the question remains whether he will do the same against Fulham and again drop Declan Rice to the bench ahead of a tricky European test on Tuesday against Atletico Madrid.

Replacing a captain

Martin Odegaard was confirmed over this international break to be in need of replacing for an extended period. After suffering damage to his medial collateral ligament he is expected to be missing until after the November international break.

In his stead, Arteta could choose the obvious choice of Eberechi Eze as he did in the win over West Ham. However there are other options with Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman both able to play in a central attacking midfield role, as is Merino which could feed into the decisions against tougher sides like we saw against Liverpool and Manchester City.

Chin up, Viktor!

After three goals in his opening ten games, Viktor Gyokeres remains a player adjusting to his new environment. Arteta will be hoping he can get back to scoring ways this weekend in west London.

However, his lack of goals for his club has spread to the international scene too, with the striker blanking in Sweden’s two defeats during the break. Arteta will need to assess his number 14 when he returns to the Sobha Realty Training Centre and get him refocused on domestic action.