Did Wenger’s big FA Cup decision raise an issue for Arsenal?

Arsene Wenger took the big decison – perhaps gamble would be the better word(?) – to change three of the back five against Reading on Saturday.

Wojciech Szczesny, Kieran Gibbs and Mathieu Debuchy were all brought in – rather unsurprisingly, I suppose – for David Ospina, Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin for the big occasion at Wembley.

It’s a difficult one for Wenger to juggle; Bellerin may well have inadvertently become our first choice right-back after Debuchy’s two long-term injury lay-offs, Szczesny has well and truly been dislodged as the man between the sticks – a lot said David Ospina would’ve saved Reading’s goal (personally, think that’s a bit harsh, slight deflection made it hard for the Pole) – and Nacho Monreal deserves to be our Player of the Year.

I’m sure a lot of Arsenal fans were a bit concerned by the performance put in by Gibbs – Debuchy’s wasn’t top notch either but given his time on the sidelines, it can be forgiven. The England international was less than convincing – epitomised by his tentative attempts to prevent Reading’s equaliser – and even his attacking presence (an attribute that was key to his inclusion over Nacho Monreal in previous campaigns) was wide of the mark.

There’s not much doubt in my mind that Nacho Monreal will return to the starting XI for Chelsea this Sunday and, given his consistent and solid defensive performances throughout this campaign, that will be a welcome selection.

Have we reached a surprising end with Gibbs?