With the Premier League title race all but over for Arsenal, we can expect to see some changes for this weekend’s visit of Hull City.
And with one eye on Wednesday’s Champions League crunch game with Bayern Munich, this weekend provides a great chance for players to make a case for themselves.
Only one man turned up with a decent performance against Chelsea last weekend, and if Wenger wants to turn this season around he’ll have to be more ruthless.
That’s why I’m calling for five changes for the weekend, allowing the likes of Danny Welbeck to get a first Premier League start of the season under his belt.
Goalkeeper: David Ospina
Those that have jumped on the ‘Cech Out’ bandwagon are getting a little bit ahead of themselves I feel, but the former Chelsea man has pulled off some shockers recently. This is Wenger’s chance to send a strong message to Cech, and in the process give Ospina, who is likely to start against Bayern Munich, a warm-up game with the crowd behind him.
Full-Back’s: Hector Bellerin and Kieran Gibbs
Bellerin has taken part in one training session this week, and I hope that doesn’t mean he’ll be rested because his impact is so important for our movement. As for the opposite side, Monreal has been sitting on the fence for too long now and I think Gibbs can provide some superb competition on the wing.
Centre Back’s: Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny
Mertesacker may be back to full fitness, but the longer these two stick together the better they’re going to get, and boy do they need a clean sheet before Bayern. Mertesacker and Holding are on the back-up list for the trip to Sutton so let’s keep these two in the team.
Centre Defensive Midfield: Mohamed Elneny and The Ox
Elneny spoke earlier in the week of his desire to become a club legend, and he’ll take a big step to doing that in the short-term by replacing Francis Coquelin. Fresh back from his success at the AFCON, Elneny should be given the chance to show what he can do in Xhaka/Ramsey and Cazorla’s absence. Ox was player of the match against Chelsea, so keep him in for confidence reasons.
Right Midfield: Lucas Perez
Strong, quick and not afraid to have a go at goal. I’m struggling to understand what Lucas has to do to get a start in the Premier League. Whenever he’s given the chance he’s put 110% effort in – and what I like about him the most is he’ll do the dirty work at the back too.
Centre Attacking Midfield: Mesut Ozil
Put a shift in against Chelsea but yet again hounded in the press and throughout social media, this is Ozil’s chance to turn around and change the mood in camp. He’s determined to win trophies with this club and three points will be a good start.
Left Midfield: Alexis Sanchez
Don’t have to say much here, but if the dream of a title is out of the window Alexis can still focus on picking up the Golden Boot award at the end of the season. His personal goals are important but we’ve seen in recent weeks that greed can often come into play when trying to change a result.
Centre Forward: Danny Welbeck
Something we all want to see, surely? The beauty of having someone like Welbeck is that he combines the talents of Alexis and Giroud in a centre forward role. He offers something we don’t currently have, and with Giroud on the bench that’s Plan B sorted.
My Line-Up vs. Hull City: Ospina, Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Gibbs, Elneny, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lucas, Ozil Alexis, Welbeck
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