Arsenal will have to dust off the cobwebs from THAT disappointing result at White Hart Lane, and put in a much more polished team display against Leicester City. This fixture comes 3 days after the North London derby, so Arsene Wenger may see this as an opportunity to rotate his squad a little bit. Personally, I think he should, but at the same time maintain some stability in the starting the XI.
David Ospina (GK):Â I really like what the Columbian has done in goal, at the expense of his Polish counterpart, Wojciech Szczesny. I don’t believe he could’ve done much about the two goals against Tottenham, because despite that he was commanding as usual between the sticks, apart from one nervy incident with a clearance in the first half. Overall, he’s been assured, confident and reactive. His presence gives his defenders confidence and so he deserved to retain his place.
Hector Bellerin (RB):Â The 19-year old didn’t have the greatest of outings on Saturday. On a few occasions was Danny Rose allowed the freedom to bomb forward, in the gaping holes of space the young Spaniard was meant to be covering. Despite this tactical naivety on the day, he otherwise looks very promising manning this position. His lightning pace is always a positive and he’s first choice right-back ahead of Chambers in my opinion.
Laurent Koscielny (CB):Â If ever this Frenchman is left out of the squad, it should be because of injury. Koscielny is an automatic starter in the heart of that defence. His deceptive pace and overall defensive quality cannot be placed on the bench very often, if at all. He should retain his place in the squad for tomorrow’s game.
Per Mertesacker (CB): To be honest, Calum Chambers could replace the German in the line-up but I doubt he will, and I believe he shouldn’t anyway. I don’t think the timing for Gabriel to come in is quite right either, so the German should retain his place. The Kos-Per partnership is crucial in providing stability to the back line.
Kieran Gibbs (LB): Now despite Nacho Monreal’s consistency, I think this is a game where Gibbs can easily come in and do a capable job. I don’t think his inclusion will disrupt the balance in the side too much either. Man for man he’s a better footballer than Monreal, so I don’t see why he shouldn’t be able to start, even if his form hasn’t been as good as his Spanish counterpart. However, if he ends up remaining on the bench, he should definitely start on the weekend.
Francis Coquelin (DM): The Frenchman kept up his consistent form in the last premier league outing, with 4 tackles and 9 interceptions – the most interceptions made by a player in a single league game this season. His inclusion in a the line-up shouldn’t be in question. He provides the bite in midfield and the solid protection of the back four, as the stats prove. Taking him out in favour Flamini would be a huge mistake, unless if he sustained an injury or accumulated fatigue.
Santi Cazorla (CM):Â It’s hard to leave Cazorla out of the Arsenal line-up on current form. Though he’s not the most physically challenged midfielder around, he’s definitely one of the most technically gifted. His quick feet and close control allows him to slip out of tight situations, and we’ve seen him doing a numerous occasions. Whilst Coquelin focuses on breaking up the oppositions attack, Cazorla can create from deep and combine effortlessly with the offensive players around him. I’ve picked him instead of Ramsey because of the importance of Cazorla’s inclusion in the team lately.
Mesut Ozil (AM):Â This selection is a no brainer. There aren’t many players in the world better than the German in this number 10 role. Ozil will have a lot of self-confidence after claiming 3 goals and an a assist, in his last three matches. He’s starting to find his mojo and keeping him out of the squad is going to be difficult now that he’s up and firing.
Theo Walcott (RW): A few eyebrows were raised when Walcott was left on the bench in favour of Danny Welbeck at White Hart Lane, and wrongly so in my opinion. Welbeck clearly wasn’t match fit and I don’t think he warranted a starting berth that early, off the back of a thigh injury. Now Theo may not be the powerful hard worker Welbeck is, but he’s definitely quick and has intelligent off the ball qualities of his own. He’s also scored twice on the bounce for Arsenal before Saturday, so he should be offered a place back on the wing.
Danny Welbeck (LW): Despite his lackluster display on Saturday there were signs of real quality from the England man. His part in the opening goal cannot be ignored and it’s that powerful, hard-working desire, which is so valuable to the team. I think if Sanchez is fit, then Welbeck might be left on the bench, but I personally think that even if Sanchez is fit, I think Welbeck should be selected just to give the Chilean some precaution on his injury return.
Olivier Giroud (CF): A no brainer. His hold-up and link-up play is always a great quality in his game, and the Frenchman has bagged himself 5 league goals since his return from injury. He’s obviously become very clinical up front for the team.
I think Wenger should stick with a more 4-3-3 formation, which encourages an offensive game-plan, purely ’cause we’re at home. I’ve selected 2 changes in the line-up, not a lot of shuffling to the Arsenal pack , just to maintain the team’s balance. But there are some players that can definitely have a run out from the first whistle. Let’s hope the team can return to winning ways in tomorrow’s game.