Despite all the first team injuries and busy schedules, Arsenal have been on a good run of form. They have won seven of their last ten. Last weeks bruising match against Stoke City was one of the best performances all season. It would seem Wenger would only be forced to replace the injured Debuchy at right back, any other big change could cause a disruption to the balance of the team.
Goalkeeper: In goal I would start Ospina who has kept a clean sheet in the past two games. In both the FA Cup against Hull and the Premier League fixture against Stoke, The Columbian hasn’t put a foot wrong. Let’s see how he handles a huge attacking threat in Manchester City.
Right Back: Even though Chambers is available, I’d start Hector Bellerin who has been improving with every game. He brings the ability to start an attack from right back and is quick enough to keep up with any winger in the league. All he has to focus on is not getting caught out and leaving a massive hole in defence. If he stays disciplined and can successfully put in a few crosses when he goes forward, then he’ll have a great game.
Centre Back: The central defence is an obvious choice as we only have to two first team centre backs in Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny. Mertesacker has seemed lost and been very poor without Koscielny by his side. But even against Southampton, where he was paired with the Frenchman, signs of a gradual decline in quality are evident. Nevertheless, Koscielny completely transforms the defence when he plays. He is quick enough to cut out any forward run and get close enough to a striker to prevent him from having the freedom to shoot. Let’s hope they defend as well as they did against Stoke last week and not like they did at St. Mary’s.
Left Back: Gibbs still has to have a late fitness test but either way, Monreal should start against City. He has been outstanding all season, even when he had to play as a centre back. Nacho has smartened up in the sense that he no longer gets caught out and his physical prowess has improved. This may be due to his run of game in the middle of defence where he had to deal with crosses in the box against tough strikers constantly. He will most likely face Jesus Navas who is a pacey winger but hasn’t proved to be a dominant figure. We’ll see how far Monreal has come since last season away at City where he was caught out almost every attack he faced.
Central Midfield: I never thought I’d see the day where I was looking forward to seeing Francis Coquelin face a quality side like Manchester City. I always thought he had talent but ever since his return from Charlton he has been outstanding. He’s a great ball winner and is quick to find a pass, when he makes a poor pass he immediately tries to win it back and most times he’s successful. Although he’s only 1.78 metres in height, Coquelin can deal with most aerial balls in the midfield. At this rate he will soon be one of the first names on the team sheet. I would prefer him to Arteta and definitely prefer him to the available Flamini. Since his return, Coquelin has only lost the one game against Southampton but even then he was one of the best players in the Arsenal team. The goals that were conceded were due to poor defending from the centre backs and terrible decision making by Szczesny. This might be Francis Coquelin’s make or break game as he has the chance prove he can hold his ground against the Premier League champions.
Central Midfield: Next to Coquelin I’d continue with Tomas Rosicky. The Czech Maestro is known for having a fantastic run of form during the second half of the season. He’s a 34 year old in a 20 year old’s body. In the games he’s started against QPR at home, Hull City and Stoke, Rosicky had driven the team forward and has made us look a threat on every drive. He is the experience we need to beat an in form title challenger.
Right Wing: On the right wing I would replace Oxlade-Chamberlain with Theo Walcott. The Ox has stepped up his performances during Walcott’s absence but as of late he’s had no end product. His dribbling runs haven’t led to goals or assists and he seems to lose the ball a lot. Now that Theo is back and fit enough to start, it’s time to unleash him as I’m sure he’s raring to go. One problem would be his finishing ability. In the substitute appearances he’s made, every clear chance he’s gotten, he’s squandered. Theo just needs that one goal to get him going again and he does have memories of great goals at the Etihad.
Central Attacker: The central attacking position is the one which would give Wenger a real dilemma. Mesut Özil has returned from injury and is available for selection but Santi Cazorla has been instrumental in every Arsenal win since his injury. The Spaniard has been red hot but it may have gone somewhat unnoticed when a certain Chilean has stolen the headlines. In a big game against City I think it’s only fair to start Cazorla and leave Özil on the bench. The German World Cup winner may not be ready to deal with strong defence and let’s not forget his last game against City where he was unable to make any impact from start to finish. Cazorla has to start, for the sake of the teams attacking threat and flow of the teams passing game.
Left Wing: There’s probably no need for me to say who should start on the left wing. But I will anyway because I love talking about him. Alexis Sanchez is one of the most talented players I’ve had the privilege of watching in an Arsenal shirt. Being fairly young and not living in Europe, I never had much chance to watch the Invincibles live. So all my experiences with legends like Henry, Bergkamp and Pires have come well after they’ve left the club. Those players had the ability to change the game all on their lonesome. And that’s what we have with Alexis. His volley against City was in my opinion, what started his unbelievable run of form. His first few games for the club didn’t showcase his ability but after his first goal at the Emirates he pushed himself harder in every game. Sanchez will face a tough opponent in Zabaleta, and unfortunately he hasn’t stole the show against sides like Chelsea, United and Liverpool. I think now he, just like the rest of the team, has to overcome the poor performances associated with Arsenal against big clubs. More specifically, big clubs away from home.
Striker: Danny Welbeck is still out injured and Sanogo has been loaned out to Crystal Palace. So Giroud is the only option for the striker postion. He has yet to score against Manchester City in the Premier League but he did score a beauty in the Community Shield. The Frenchman’s record against the big sides hasn’t been good but this season he has finally scored his first goal against Everton, Manchester United and Liverpool. He was injured for both the Manchester City and Chelsea games. Let’s hope he gets his first Premier League goal against City this weekend.
This would leave us with a very strong bench consisting of first team quality players of Ramsey, Özil, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chambers and Gibbs.