Arsenal vs. Southampton: Issues That Will Shape Premier League Game
Arsenal and Southampton go into their second encounter of the season tomorrow with completely different mindsets.
The Gunners are coming off two consecutive wins, which will boost their confidence enormously after a mostly deflating month of November. The Saints, on the other hand, just blew a match against Manchester City at the weekend after City were reduced to 10 men.
Still, Southampton have six more points than Arsenal and are third in the Premier League table. Let's look at some key issues and decisions that will affect the outcome of this game.
Will Southampton Be Shorn of Belief?
1 of 4
After flying high for almost the entire season, Southampton stumbled to a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa in the penultimate game of November and then sank to a 3-0 loss against Manchester City at home.
Could this be the start of their bubble bursting?
Arsenal will obviously hope so, but it is dangerous to assume that a team that has been this good all season will suddenly fall apart. This is the perfect time to play the Saints, though.
The Gunners have to hope that Southampton do not derive extra motivation from their recent failures.
Who Will Win the Midfield Battle?
2 of 4
Much of Southampton's success this season is down to the continued brilliance of their midfield maestro Morgan Schneiderlin. He, along with Victor Wanyama, have anchored a dominant midfield.
Arsenal will be missing Mikel Arteta and Jack Wilshere, two of their scrappiest midfielders. The former's absence will be particularly costly, as he sets the tempo in much the same way that Schneiderlin does for the Saints.
It will be difficult for Arsenal to play their preferred possession game if Mathieu Flamini does not perform as excellently as he did against West Brom at the weekend. If he fails, the Gunners are liable to get overrun in midfield and exposed on the counterattack.
Who Will Play Up Front for Arsenal?
3 of 4
Arsene Wenger opted for a bit of an unconventional setup against West Brom, with Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez switching wings and Olivier Giroud up front.
It worked fairly well, but Arsenal lacked width. There were no out-and-out wingers to swing crosses into the box, so Calum Chambers and Kieran Gibbs were tasked with playing two roles.
Theo Walcott is not quite back yet, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be given his starting job back at the expense of either Welbeck or Giroud. That would make Arsenal more dynamic and give them more pace but fewer pure goalscorers.
Will Arsenal Have Any Left Backs?
4 of 4
Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal are both listed in the injury section of Arsenal's official website; incidentally, both picked up the knocks against West Brom.
The former has an ankle problem and the latter was withdrawn early on after taking a knock on the knee. Neither can seem to stay fit for very long, or at the same time.
It is not entirely clear who would replace them at left back if neither are fit enough to start. The only plausible option seems to be Calum Chambers, with the young Hector Bellerin on the right wing.
Arsene Wenger will obviously not want to play Chambers in an unfamiliar position, but Carl Jenkinson was deployed at left back in one of his first games for the club after arriving from Charlton Athletic. So there is precedent here, but Arsenal would be vulnerable against Southampton's seasoned wingers.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
