3. Tomas Rosicky
It is very difficult to sit there as an Arsenal fan and dislike this man. After all, what has he ever done wrong for us?
A part of the club since 2006, Rosicky has managed to get himself on the team sheet over 200 times, captaining the side on several occasions during domestic cup competitions. He’s also tucked away 25 goals in his time, not bad for a ‘old man’.
The Czech international turned 34 this year, and tops the list of the oldest player at the club currently, so why is it even up for discussion that Rosicky should be given a starting place. Well… there are two simple reasons.
Firstly, you can depend on this man to put every inch of work rate in that he possibly has. Thomas is a Gunner, that means he’s one of those players who is out there to play for the badge on the shirt, not the pay cheque at the end of the month. This is such a key factor at a club striving to get up and running in the trophy department, passion raises your game, because when it’s something you care about, you want it just that little bit more. You can’t buy that, but you can certainly inspire players with it, and that’s exactly what our youth will look at.
Secondly, Rosicky is almost the closest thing we have to an all round midfielder. He will be the man you see taking on a shot at the 18-yard line and then tracking back to make up for his mistake. He’s got patience, flair and knows the game like the back of his hand, which makes him the perfect candidate to fill the void left by Aaron Ramsey.
Sure, he’s getting on a bit now, but you’ll also be saying that in 6 months time, so why not get him on the field whilst we have him. I would find a lot more confidence in this Arsenal side if we had a little more experience, and Thomas has all that wrapped up in a nice little package. Give him a chance Wenger, just remember what he did at White Hart Lane last year…