Max Dowman is back in Prague, the city where he made Champions League history a year ago, and Mikel Arteta must decide whether to hand the 16-year-old a first start in the competition.
Twelve months ago, aged 15 years and 308 days, Dowman came on at the Fortuna Arena and became the youngest player to feature in the Champions League. Exactly a year on from that fixture, Arsenal are back at the same stadium to face Slavia Prague once again.
A dramatic week for Dowman
It has been an eventful 12 months for Dowman, who now has a Premier League medal in his possession, but it has been a particularly dramatic week. The 16-year-old has served the first match of a three-game suspension for the straight red card he was shown against Fleetwood.
That ban does not apply to European competitions. Dowman played a full part in training on Tuesday and is part of the travelling squad in Prague. The decision for Arteta is whether to hand Dowman a first Champions League start, or continue a period of tough love.
In response to criticism of his reaction to Dowman at Fleetwood, when he angrily spoke to the teenager as he walked off the pitch, Arteta made it clear that no allowances would be made for Dowman because of his age.
“This is the environment and this is the reality,” Arteta said. “Otherwise we are in Disneyland, we are not in Disneyland, we are in the Premier League at this level and we look after him so much that you cannot imagine. But at the same time we are going to demand him, like to anybody else, because he needs to earn the right to play.”
Physical test awaits in Prague
Dowman cannot play in the Premier League until Arsenal host Manchester City on November 29, but the Champions League offers the chance for him to move on from that red card. It was the second time in a month that Dowman had been sent off, having also been dismissed for England's Under-19s.
Arteta has been very clear that he has hammered home the message to Dowman that he must expect rough treatment and, more importantly, that he cannot react. Those discussions will have continued since the Fleetwood red card and those thoughts will be front of Arteta's mind when he selects his lineup in Prague.
Before Tuesday night's fixtures in the Champions League, Slavia Prague ranked seventh out of the 36 teams in the competition for fouls committed. They are the only side to have been shown two red cards this season. When the two teams met last season, the hosts committed 24 fouls. Dowman was barely on the pitch for 20 minutes and was fouled twice.
Rotation opportunity for Arteta
The approach Slavia Prague might adopt towards Dowman, then, is no great surprise. Particularly after his recent red cards, there will be a feeling that the teenager can be riled and will react to a physical test.
However, Arsenal are not flush with options. Bukayo Saka is out with a quad injury and Noni Madueke just about shook off an ankle issue in time to play the full 90 minutes at Anfield. With Saka out, Madueke is a pivotal part of Arsenal's attack and they cannot afford for him to be injured. Dowman is now unable to ease the domestic load but he can allow Madueke a precious rest on Wednesday night.
Ordinarily, that would feel like a fairly obvious call for Arteta to make. The past week has perhaps complicated the situation and given Arteta more to ponder. Does he leave Dowman on the bench, whether it be to send him a message or to protect him considering the current spotlight? Or does he show his faith in the teenager and trust him to learn the necessary lessons to keep a cooler head?
Arteta indicated at his pre-match press conference that he will opt for the latter and put the Fleetwood saga in the past.
“That’s a chapter that is gone,” Arteta said. “It’s a moment of learning for all of us and we move on. You learn from the not so good ones, make sure you learn from the great ones as well. He’s been in great spirits.”
Against limited opposition and on a night where rotation is likely, it feels an ideal opportunity for Arteta to showcase his trust and Dowman to repay it.
