The starting XI that should play against Aston Villa
The business end is looming in the top flight and before we know it the season will be winding down. As such every match is crucial and Arsenal face a visit from Aston Villa tomorrow hoping to keep pace with the teams above. The lads will still be buzzing from the win over City in the last fixture, and having progressed into the fifth round of the F.A Cup as well since then, the confidence in the Arsenal camp will be high. The return of Walcott and Ozil from injury and the signings of Bielik and Gabriel have bolstered the club further, so the boys will be looking to continue their run of good fortune.
Arsene Wenger spoke recently about his delight at the plethora of attacking option now available to him, and I expect him to shuffle the deck once more from the team that beat Brighton. Although not too much as Sanchez and Chamberlain are struggling with injuries, however Cazorla, Mertesacker, and Coquelin will surely return to the side. This fixture produced a 3-0 win for Arsenal last time around, and we will be hoping for more of the same this time. Three points are a must.
Ospina has done enough to retain his place in the side, and I think he will do just that. Villa are struggling for goals these days, but this is the Premier League and every team is dangerous on any day. Benteke is dangerous in the air and Ospina needs to be aware of this. He should be on his toes and I suspect he will be.
Gibbs has finally shrugged off his knock and returned to the line up last weekend. He came through unscathed and after another full week of training I would imagine he is even stronger and ready to go. N’Zogbia can be a handful down Villa’s right so Gibbs will need to be up for it.
We hope for more of the same from Koscielny, not really much else to say. We should see the usual pairing of himself and Mertesacker with Wenger saying new signing Gabriel is not yet ready due to a language barrier. Koscielny has struggled with an achilles injury all season but has returned to form lately and looks to be going from strength to strength. Benteke is a handful as well and Laurent will need to be wary of the aerial threat of the young Belgium.
Rested against Brighton, he should be ready and raring to return. He has come under criticism for some parts of the season, but seems to be improving alongside Koscielny. Some of the criticism has been unfair given the poor form (defensively) of the team on a whole and not just the back four. As stated previously, Gabriel is unlikely to feature just yet, but the Brazilian will have quite the task in usurping any of our preferred centre backs regardless.
With Debuchy out, the right back spot will be fought out by Bellerin and Chambers (until Gabriel is ready that is). Both are young and inexperienced, but have shown their worth and potential so far, and I think Bellerin may be preferred for this match. His speed and attacking flair make him an added asset going forward and I look forward to seeing him link up with Walcott down the right.
I’ve been full of praise for Francis since his return to the club and he has done enough to retain his place. He came on as a sub against Brighton, but he should get the nod from the start tomorrow. A massive part of Arsenal’s improved defensive displays can be attributed to Coquelin’s work in front of the back four. He has been a big step up from his counterparts and Arsenal are benefiting from it. Wenger spoke about the club’s chances of signing the player to a long term contract extension, and with performances like this gooners will be hoping to tie the player down sooner rather than later.
Still short of full fitness, but improving game by game. We have yet to see the high flying, goal scoring, Ramsey of last season, but the signs are there that he will soon return. He was commanding last weekend and he should retain his place in the side as well.
Absolutely brilliant last weekend, and with Ozil still short of full fitness and Sanchez and Chamberlain out through injury, Tomas should get another run in the side. He rolled back the years with his passing and moving, opening up the space for his teammates and pulling the strings. We will need more of that from him tomorrow, and expect to see much interchanging between him, Ramsey, and Cazorla who will probably be pushed out wide.
Santi has been one of the standout performers this year for Arsenal and has proven that he is the man to pull the strings. Rested last weekend, Santi was on a run of four assists and five goals in six matches. Blistering form that is, and he simply has to be in the side whenever possible when playing like this. He will most likely line up out wide but will be given freedom to roam inside and interchange with Rosicky and Ramsey. I expect more of the same from him tomorrow.
Looked like the Theo of old in glimpses last weekend, taking his goal with aplomb and looking dangerous throughout. He showed no signs of rust, although guilty of a bit of selfishness on some occasions. We have missed his pace and with Sanchez and Chamberlain out, he is certain to stay in the side.
Silent last weekend for the most part, but overall in good form at the moment. Welbeck is near a return, but not yet fully fit and probably won’t be in the squad tomorrow leaving Giroud as the only established forward. Not much going against Brighton but was fantastic against City, so we need more consistent cutting edge from him and I’m sure he will return to the score sheet yet again and soon.