Now that the football season is well underway, I thought I’d take a look at the best XI available to Arsène Wenger. Already, the injuries are piling up, but for the sake of this article, we’re putting injuries aside. One of the main problems that Arsène faces is what formation he can play in order to accommodate everyone and keep them all happy. Personally, I’d go for a 4-2-3-1, with the one weak area being the centre defensive midfielder role. So, here we go:
Build your own ideal Arsenal XI by clicking here
Back 5
GK: Wojciech Szczesny
This one is a no brainer. Szczesny has been our number one between the sticks for a number of years now and, until Ospina gets back to full fitness and gets his chance to shine, that is how it will stay.
RB: Mathieu Debuchy
When Bacary Sagna left, Arsène wasted no time bringing in a replacement, and he did a fine job. Debuchy has settled in fantastically well at the club and looks like he’s been occupying the right back position at Arsenal for years. His only blip so far came in the form of a red card against Besiktas in our Champions League qualifier, but that was down to poor refereeing as opposed to poor play. It is desperately unlucky that he has picked up a serious injury so early in the season. We look forward to seeing you again at Christmas, Mathieu.
CB: Per Mertesacker
The ‘BFG’ took a bit of time to settle in at Arsenal, but after much criticism from pundits and fans, he has proven to be a vital part of the team. He remains a lanky, slow defender, but what he lacks in pace he more than makes up for in positioning and experience. Now that he has been in the Premier League for a few seasons, he can read the game very well and has formed a great partnership with Laurent Koscielny.
CB: Laurent Koscielny
Koscielny’s selection in this team goes hand in hand with Per Mertesacker’s. They are a great team and what one lacks, the other has. Mertesacker is slow, and so relies on his positioning and awareness to defend. Koscielny is well aware of this, and he uses his pace and power to fill in the gaps. The pair spends games interchanging and covering each other, making them a great centre back pairing.
LB: Kieran Gibbs
Unfortunately for Gibbs, he has a wicked relationship with injuries. If he could get a good run of games under his belt without being sidelined, he would stand a good chance of challenging for the England left back spot. He is pacey, very good at attacking and more recently his defensive instincts have improved a lot. He is everything you could want in a left back; I just hope he shakes his injury problems. Click below to reveal the best Arsenal midfield in my XI.