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Arsenal legend Lee Dixon has encouraged head coach Mikel Arteta to start Myles Lewis-Skelly in the Champions League final on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The Gunners<\/strong> have already won the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years this season, and now they are looking to lift the Champions League the first time in their history.<\/p>\n The north London side head into Saturday evening\u2019s final against holders Paris Saint-Germain as the underdogs, but they will feel that they have a chance of nullifying Luis Enrique\u2019s side with their exceptional defence.<\/p>\n Arteta<\/strong> also has several big selection calls to make for the match, including whether to start Lewis-Skelly over Martin Zubimendi in midfield.<\/p>\n Lewis-Skelly has come in from the shadows to shine for his boyhood club during the run-in, and club legend Dixon thinks his former side should make the \u201cbig call\u201d of starting him against PSG.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t say I was surprised because I think I knew he could do it,\u201d Dixon said during an interview with The Athletic.<\/p>\n READ: Five reasons why \u20181-0 to the Arsenal\u2019 is inevitable in the Champions League final \u201cI think it was an opportunity born out of Mikel needing something, and he got it in bucketloads. I thought Myles was brilliant. His control, his awareness of players around him \u2014 he was my man of the match, and possibly in both games.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a big call (who to start in the Champions League final). But I\u2019d probably play Myles. I think he\u2019s already shown enough not to be fazed by that.\u201d<\/p>\n Dixon has also likened Lewis-Skelly to former England international Paul Gascoigne.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve watched Myles a lot \u2014 he\u2019s very Gazza-like in the way that he uses his weight and his strength,\u201d Dixon added.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Who makes it into a combined Arsenal and PSG XI? Saka misses out\u2026 \u201cHe almost allows players to catch up with him. He\u2019ll go past them and then he slows down a little bit. Gazza used to do that so that when they come in and make contact again, he bounces them off him.<\/p>\n \u201cMyles will win free kicks by doing that and he will also get himself in positions higher up the pitch, so it\u2019s a brilliant skill to have.\u201d<\/p>\n And fellow club legend Nigel Winterburn has backed Lewis-Skelly to thrive in midfield if he starts against PSG, while he is \u201csurprised\u201d that he has not been used in this position before now.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been a little surprised that Lewis-Skelly hadn\u2019t got his chance in central midfield before,\u201d Winterburn told Metro via BetGoodwin.<\/p>\n READ NEXT: Do we all owe Lego Head Mikel Arteta an apology? \u201cI was super excited when he was picked for the Wigan game in the FA Cup that position, but Calafiori then got injured before the game and he had to go back to full-back.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve watched him come through at the youth level, and central midfield is his position. He carries the ball, he delivers the ball, and he\u2019s usually so powerful when he\u2019s moving with the ball.<\/p>\n \u201cWould I be surprised if Myles Lewis-Skelly starts in the Champions League final in central midfield? No, I wouldn\u2019t be.<\/p>\n \u201cTrying to prejudge what Mikel Arteta will do is tricky, we\u2019ve already seen that occasionally he throws in a little bit of a curveball, because I don\u2019t think many people saw Myles Lewis-Skelly coming into that midfield role a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re playing against a team in top, top form, Champions League final, but the way I look at him, I think he can cope with that all day long.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div>\n
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<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019ve been a little surprised\u2026\u201d<\/h2>\n
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