How Arsenal Will Line Up Against Norwich City
At long last, our period of international football-induced boredom is coming to an end.
The final round of World Cup Qualifiers has been completed (until the playoffs), and that means the club teams that we all follow on a weekly basis can get back to playing the football that most people spend their time reading and writing about.
For Arsenal, that means returning to North London to host Norwich City after drawing against West Brom two weekends ago.
Arsene Wenger needs to intelligently pick a balanced squad with key players beginning to return from injury and a critical period in the schedule looming. Let's look at who he might select.
Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczesny
1 of 11
After a bit of a rough patch to start the season, Wojciech Szczesny has reassured Arsene Wenger with consistently solid performances in nearly every recent match.
His display against West Brom was indicative of a goalkeeper who is much more mature and experienced than the Pole is. He leapt to catch loose balls in dangerous spots with confidence, and generally imposed himself on his penalty area when it was filled with players.
Szczesny has shown no reason why Wenger should opt for Lukasz Fabianski or Emiliano Viviano for the first time in the Premier League this season. He'll almost certainly start.
Right-Back: Carl Jenkinson
2 of 11
If Bacary Sagna were fully fit, Wenger would surely opt for the Frenchman, who has clearly been the best option at right-back this season.
Yet Wenger informed the press at a pregame press conference that Sagna is only 80 percent fit (via Arsenal.com). Jenkinson, while still a developmental project, has been capable in his role as deputy and is probably preferable to a partially fit Sagna.
Plus, with a daunting match against Borussia Dortmund in midweek, it would be wise for Wenger to give Sagna an extra few days to recuperate and be fully fit for a much tougher game.
Center Back: Per Mertesacker
3 of 11
A healthy Per Mertesacker will almost always be included in Arsenal's starting XI because there is simply no other player like him in the team.
He is the only one who is willing to stay back and play the role of calm distributor, letting his more pugnacious partner (whomever that may be) pursue the current attacking threat.
Mertesacker's presence has helped form the bedrock of Arsenal's defensive revival, and his inclusion in matchday squads is now not even a matter of debate.
Center Back: Laurent Koscielny
4 of 11
Thomas Vermaelen might get a charitable nod from Arsene Wenger, but Laurent Koscielny's exclusion from the lineup would simply not be merited by the quality of his recent performances.
The Frenchman is a thoroughly dynamic defender who can roam within a large area on the left side to harry and press encroaching midfielders and forwards. He possesses enough pace to recover lost ground and a very unusual leaping ability that allows him to be competitive on set-pieces.
If one central defender would be dropped so that Vermaelen, the captain, could reclaim his place in the team, it would be the one whose physical attributes and style of play are most similar to him—Koscielny. But Wenger won't do that until he has a good reason.
Left-Back: Kieran Gibbs
5 of 11
Nacho Monreal acknowledges that he is getting roundly shown up in his rivalry with Kieran Gibbs. He's right: Gibbs earned a call-up to England's national team recently because of his outstanding performances for Arsenal.
Gibbs is the better option at the moment in all facets of left-back play. His training as a winger is often apparent when he marauds down the flank to support the attack, and he has developed a defensive discipline that was not present earlier in his career.
In a way, the situation with Gibbs and Monreal is similar to that of Koscielny and Vermaelen. Wenger could justify selecting either man, but one clearly merits his picking based on current form.
Midfielder: Mikel Arteta
6 of 11
Once again inexplicably left out of Vicente del Bosque's Spain team, Mikel Arteta will be as fresh as can be after two weeks of training without any competitive action.
It'll be time to say "bye-bye" to Abou Diaby as he leaves the training ground to reassume his place at the rump of Arsenal's midfield. As he has for the past year, Arteta will serve as Arsenal's metronome and chief distributor.
He does the nitty-gritty so the forwards are channeled the ball and the rest of the midfield can do its job. He works the ball out of tight spots and onto the feet of players in more advantageous positions, allowing Arsene Wenger's style to flourish.
It's no wonder he was immediately selected in the starting XI after returning from injury earlier this season.
Midfielder: Aaron Ramsey
7 of 11
For Ramsey, the West Brom game was a blip in what has been by far the most successful stretch of his young career.
Incredibly, he is still Arsenal's top goalscorer in all competitions leading Olivier Giroud, a striker, by eight goals to six. That is partially due to luck. But Ramsey manufactures chances for himself through tremendous effort and an engine that never gives out.
Until he gives Wenger reason to make a different decision, his inclusion in the squad is absolutely necessary these days.
Ramsey struggled against West Brom largely because he was isolated on the right wing. Hopefully Wenger recognizes his mistake and rectifies it.
Attacking Midfielder: Mesut Ozil
8 of 11
After crumpling to the ground and calling for his own substitution during Germany's last World Cup qualifier, there was obviously much concern about Mesut Ozil's long-term fitness.
To Arsenal's great relief, he has but a minor knee problem and need only pass a fitness test to play Norwich.
If he's fit, he's playing. Arsene Wenger did not spend £42.5 million on Ozil to use him sparingly, and doing so is detrimental to the team. Santi Cazorla is on his way back, but he's not close to being in top shape yet. The German is easily the best creative option Arsenal have.
It looks like Ozil will be healthy enough to play, so expect to see him spearheading the Gunners' midfield once again.
Left Winger: Jack Wilshere
9 of 11
To be clear: This is a poor decision.
It's the decision that Arsene Wenger made against West Brom. Despite his goal in that game, he delivered a very substandard performance which I argued should prevent him from being an automatic starter.
Santi Cazorla might still be chosen to fill this role, but Wenger's words make that seem quite unlikely. He left open the possibility of starting the Spanish magician but told Arsenal's official website, "Cazorla is available in training but he is not match-fit."
Ryo Miyaichi realistically could (and probably should) be chosen instead of Wilshere because they are much more naturally suited to the position. But the latter will probably be given another opportunity to do his best in a role that is entirely alien to him.
Right Winger: Serge Gnabry
10 of 11
After lacking any sort of pace down the wings against West Brom, surely Wenger will realize the need for one player who can add some dynamism and the skills of a non-midfielder to one flank.
In the absence of Theo Walcott or Lukas Podolski, Serge Gnabry is the best option Arsenal have.
He was quite a force in Arsenal's defeat of Swansea City a few weeks ago, constantly attempting to weave his way through the Swans defense and proving a thorn in their side whenever he got near the ball. A crucial goal was his just reward.
Gnabry is a player for whom playing time is utterly precious. He seems to be developing at a rapid pace and has already shown to be extremely motivated to make the most of his chance in the absence of more senior players.
Striker: Olivier Giroud
11 of 11
Obviously.
Giroud is in such outstanding form at the moment that benching him would be lunacy—not that Arsene Wenger really has anyone who can credibly replace him, anyway.
Sure, the Frenchman's banging in the goals, but the most remarkable and aesthetically pleasing aspect of Giroud's recent maturation is his link-up play. Often dropping deep into midfield, he has forged a reliable understanding with his teammates and can mirror their movements to allow attacks to flow through various channels.
Without Giroud, Arsenal's forwards cannot operate as effectively, the team loses any attacking aerial threat and there is no one with a clinical finishing touch to put away chances.
If Giroud fires against Norwich, then so will Arsenal.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
