Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke or Max Dowman: How could Arsenal line up without Bukayo Saka? New York Times (Online) Thom Harris Mikel Arteta will be pleased with how his Arsenal side have responded to a bruising 3-0 defeat to Brighton before the international break. As well as two crucial wins over Leeds and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, they dispatched French side Lille with minimal fuss in the Champions League, before fighting back away at Bayern Munich on Wednesday night to secure a spirited and well-earned point. But it wasn't all good news on their European travels, as Bukayo Saka went down holding his thigh after miscueing a crossfield pass, having to be replaced by Eberechi Eze just 10 minutes into the game. “It is his quad,” said Arteta with a grimace after the game. “A player who had to come off with a really sharp pain is never good news, but we have to wait and see.” While the extent of Saka's absence remains unclear, Arsenal have crunch matches coming up with Manchester City on November 29 and a trip to north London rivals Spurs also circled in the calendar seven days on. It all leaves Arteta with a number of decisions to make. The obvious choice to replace Saka in the first-choice XI would be Noni Madueke, who has racked up over 2,000 minutes as a right-sided midfielder since joining Arsenal two summers ago. That said, the winger had been building a head of steam from the opposite flank, making a match-winning impact against Nottingham Forest after charging into the box from the left, having also started on that side against both Leeds United and Bayern. With Christos Tzolis progressing well from a hamstring injury, it makes sense to return Madueke to the right, while Eze continues to fill in on the other side. Max Dowman is also an option to face Everton this weekend — he became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history when he netted against David Moyes's side last season — but throwing a 16-year-old straight into the thick of league and European action brings its own risks. Saka's talismanic qualities at the top of the team will be greatly missed, but Madueke's similar profile means Arteta does not have to completely rip up his tactical approach. Against high-quality sides who have pressed them man-for-man, Arsenal have not been afraid to use goalkeeper David Raya's long kicking to help them find an escape route down the flanks. Saka's relationship with full-back Jurrien Timber plays an important role. Just two minutes into the game against Bayern, the opposition are pressing high against Arsenal with Raya on the ball. The goalkeeper has his studs on the ball, while Timber begins his run down the flank. Further ahead, centre-forward Kai Havertz has dragged centre-back Kim Min-jae away, opening up space for Saka to attack. With a pinpoint pass and header inside from Timber, Arsenal turn a potentially dangerous build-up sequence into a chance. Shortly after Saka's withdrawal, Raya and Timber line up the same sequence. Although the goalkeeper's pass on this occasion is overhit, Arsenal seem to value Madueke's potential as an out ball against the face of an aggressive press in much the same way. More important in the upcoming weeks will be Madueke's patience on the ball against stubborn low blocks. With the visit of Everton and Hull City in the coming weeks, the 25-year-old is likely to see plenty of the ball in wide areas, tasked with providing the spark — the teasing cross or the zig-zagging run — to help break down the defence. Madueke is a lively winger, generally more positive than Saka when it comes to driving runs into the penalty area; only six Premier League players have attempted more take-ons per 90 since the start of last season, while over 10 per cent of Madueke's carries involve a one-vs-one, the fifth-highest proportion in the league. But inconsistency with his final pass has long been a criticism, something that Madueke will have a chance to rectify with steady game time. Here against Lille, Madueke's lightning acceleration and quick feet allow him to find space down the line against a compact defence. His attempted cross, however, is overhit, one of nine unsuccessful deliveries that evening from open play. Despite the moments of frustration that come with Madueke's direct, frenetic style, there were encouraging signs against both Lille and Bayern that he can facilitate Arsenal's dangerous passing triangles down the right flank. As we can see from the passing network below, he linked up well with Timber and Declan Rice — both of whom looked to make underlapping runs inside Madueke — and served as a threatening outlet, receiving 26 forward passes from his team-mates throughout. In the end, it was Madueke's neat pass into Timber that helped to break the deadlock just after the hour mark. Shimmying and shuffling out wide, he picks the right moment to thread the ball into the box, supplying the run of his full-back to score. Against Bayern too, Madueke plays a sharp first-time pass into Viktor Gyokeres after receiving out wide, injecting some pace into the Arsenal attack that ultimately leads to Rice's thumping equaliser. Madueke will naturally be keen to impress, but his decision-making, along with those neat-and-tidy passes in buildup, will be just as crucial to softening the Saka blow. A brilliantly worked team-goal finished off by Declan Rice, and Arsenal are level 💥 📺 Stream on TNT Sports & HBO Max: https://t.co/fRCRh6tXYB https://t.co/Y25zI80A0z — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 21, 2026 Over on the left, Eze has generally looked sharp when drafted into a winger's role, although he struggled against Forest last weekend, who did not allow him to drift inside. He is less of an explosive runner than Madueke, and though he can skip through challenges and control the ball well in tight spaces, he is more effective when he can bounce off team-mates around him with short, angled passes and well-timed darts into the box. In this first example against Bayern, Eze dovetails with the movement of Riccardo Calafiori, floating into a pocket of space to receive the pass while his full-back drags a defender wide. With a neat first touch, Eze sets himself to roll the ball into the path of Bruno Guimaraes, before attacking the space that his movement created, having attracted Dayot Upamecano out of the defensive shape. Though he might have shot earlier with his weaker left foot, it was the kind of slick, passing move that Arsenal can string together when Eze can take up those positions in the half-space and is surrounded by clever movement and threatening forward runs. Ten minutes later, Eze receives the ball out wide and squares up to Konrad Laimer, waiting for the movement of Havertz and Calafiori up ahead. With a neat give-and-go, he is able to bound towards the box, eventually earning a free kick right on the edge of the area after another piece of dynamic combination play. “I think Eze had a great game,” said Arteta, “not only with the ball, but his overall performance, his commitment without the ball as well.” Another option on the right, that could be seen as a wildcard, is Dowman. The 16-year-old scored a memorable goal, running from the halfway line, against Everton last season. Could Arteta try him again against the same opponents at the Emirates? Dowman's league appearances have been limited this season, with just 10 minutes in the defeat to Brighton. He did play 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup victory over Ipswich Town and scored two goals in the process. He was the star man, going past players and worrying defenders, as we have seen before. Against Ipswich, though, he was doing this from a central role, rather than from the right. Plus, given his age, Arteta may feel it is more sensible to use Dowman as an impact substitute if Arsenal are struggling to break down Everton on Saturday. On top of hamstring issues that kept Saka out for large chunks of the 2024-25 season, and Achilles problems that ate into his playing time at the World Cup, his latest injury strain is another frustrating setback for both player and club. Though Arsenal's attack has not been the most exhilarating this season, two players — Eze and Madueke — have a real point to prove.