Breaking Down the Fantasy Team Arsenal Could Have Had

In the years following the move to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, Arsenal were forced into an era of relative parsimony. That led to them losing a number of key players Arsene Wenger would have preferred to hold onto.

What if Arsenal had never suffered under such constraints and the current squad could be combined with the best talent the Gunners lost in that tricky period? In this piece, we name the fantasy XI that Arsenal might have had for the 2015/16 season and compare it to the current roster.

We’ve lined this team up in Arsenal’s current 4-2-3-1 formation. Wenger seems enamoured with that system and would be likely to stick to it irrespective of personnel.

Let’s begin in goal. There’s certainly no goalkeeper Arsenal have had in recent years who can hold a candle to Petr Cech. The summer signing from Chelsea is the best stopper Arsenal have had since Jens Lehmann's first spell with the club ended in 2008 and arguably their only undisputed world-class 'keeper since David Seaman. Even if the likes of Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski were still around, Cech would remain the clear No. 1.

There might be a familiar face at right-back. Arsenal lost Bacary Sagna on a Bosman transfer in the summer of 2014 but would have preferred to keep the athletic Frenchman. At 32, Sagna still has plenty of gas in the tank, as he’s shown this season with some good performances for Manchester City.

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Had Sagna stayed on, it’s unlikely Hector Bellerin would have made his rapid ascent to the first team. Perhaps the young Spaniard would still be looking to make his name out on loan.

At centre-half, Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny would surely remain the key defensive partnership. The loss of Thomas Vermaelen to Barcelona in 2014 did not appear to particularly hurt Arsenal, especially given the Belgian’s propensity to be absent through injury. Mertesacker and Koscielny do have individual faults, but they’re a very well balanced pair.

At left-back, Wenger would surely still rely on Nacho Monreal. Although Gael Clichy has won Premier League titles with both Arsenal and City, he is prone to lapses in concentration. Monreal, by contrast, is characterised by his consistency. He is now recognised as one of the most reliable full-backs in the country.

Currently, the midfield in Arsenal’s first-choice XI is anchored by Francis Coquelin. However, he only came to prominence because of remarkable run of injuries. It’s not difficult to imagine an Arsenal team where the role is still filled by Alex Song. Coquelin might never have made the breakthrough, especially if Lassana Diarra had been kept on as an alternative. Had Song not pushed for a move to Barcelona in 2012, he might still be patrolling the area between midfield and defence.

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Perhaps he’d have Cesc Fabregas alongside him too. Like Song, Fabregas made the move from Islington to Catalonia before ending up back in London. However, Wenger would not have had it thus. He built his team around the Spain international and would surely remain committed to that ideal. Although his form has dipped dramatically this season with Chelsea, at Arsenal Fabregas was an inspiration and a leader. Were Fabregas still with the Gunners, the chances are he’d still be wearing the captain’s armband. 

With Fabregas and Song in place, Santi Cazorla may never have found his calling as a deep-lying playmaker. Instead, he’d find himself alongside Jack Wilshere as a reserve for the attacking-midfield trio of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Samir Nasri.

The value of Ozil and Ramsey is obvious, but the inclusion of Nasri may cause some surprise. However, Wenger had huge admiration for his talents and clearly envisaged him as a major part of Arsenal’s future. Had he chosen to extend his contract with Arsenal rather than join Manchester City in 2011, he would have continued to develop his relationship with Fabregas in the helping construct Arsenal’s meticulous approach play.

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Alexis Sanchez would still be in the team, but with the wealth of attacking-midfield options at Wenger’s disposal he would most likely have been repurposed as a central striker. When Alexis first joined the Gunners, Wenger intimated that he envisaged using him through the middle. He told Arsenal’s official website (h/t ESPN):

"

He is a striker and he's a good finisher. He made a great impression in Italy [with Udinese]—I saw him there and he was really outstanding.

Then at Barcelona it was a bit more difficult, but it's like you could see with Neymar at Barcelona, because there you have Lionel Messi. You see Neymar with Brazil and Neymar with Barcelona and it's not the same. I like the fact he can play left, right, up front and that's why I went for him. At the moment I want to see him in both positions.

"

Although he has toyed briefly with using Alexis at centre-forward, the Chilean has mainly been deployed on the left flank. With Nasri still in the squad, Wenger may have shown more commitment to the idea of releasing Alexis through the centre.

Robin van Persie might still be around, coming off the substitutes bench to add his finishing prowess in the dying stages of games. It’s unlikely he could contribute effectively over 90 minutes, but he still retains the goalscoring instincts to make him an effective impact substitute.

Fantasy Arsenal XI

It’s undoubtedly a strong team, but the question is, is it better than the current first-choice Arsenal XI?

Arguably, it’s not. It lacks the speed and skill of Bellerin overlapping from right-back. It lacks the bite of Coquelin in midfield and the physical presence of Olivier Giroud up top. Would Mesut Ozil be as effective with Cesc Fabregas muddying the playmaking waters behind him? Would Arsenal be as effective without Santi Cazorla dancing his way past midfielders and setting the tempo from deep?

Arsenal fans may have loathed the years in which they lost their major stars, but arguably they’re now stronger for it. Arsenal’s current team has been assembled by a curious alchemy of circumstance, fortune and excellent management. However, it’s perhaps their best team since the Invincibles of 2003/04. Gunners supporters may be glad the team outlined above remains nothing more than a fantasy.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.