English Premier League: Should "Super Sam" Start for Arsenal vs. Liverpool?

During his 15 years with Arsenal, Arsene Wenger has amassed a fantastic legacy.

Three league titles. Four FA Cups. A reputation for playing the most attractive blend of football in the Premier League.

He is an acclaimed tactician, possesses a keen eye for discovering young talent and has no qualms about giving youngsters a chance to shine in first-team football.

He is also one of the proudest—and stubbornest—men you're ever likely to meet.

To his credit, he sticks to his guns, even amidst the most harrowing storm of criticism.

For years, he has endured vitriol from pundits and fans alike, who have berated the Frenchman for failing to spend enough in the transfer market to adequately strengthen his side. Wenger has remained a rock throughout the past six trophy-less seasons, adhering to a specific number of non-negotiable principles.

• He will not buy a player over 30.

• He will not spend money just to "spend" it. Manchester City's policy—of throwing around money like some no-limits Monopoly game—doesn't fly with the Frenchman. Wenger is renowned for his heavy involvement in the Arsenal recruiting process. After seeing big-money bids for Francis Jeffers and Jose Antonio Reyes seem wasted, as both failed to make their mark with the team, the Arsenal skipper has become guarded with the funds at his disposal.

• Should a player decide to leave the club, Wenger will not bring them back. Call it pride, call it principle. Once they've left the Emirates, the door to the locker room never reopens.

Yet here's where things get interesting.

Wenger has broken each of those three precepts during recent seasons. Most often, he had little choice in the matter. Whether his side was depleted through injury, or visibly lacking in a certain department, Wenger had to take action.

But he adapted and made concessions—a necessary component of any negotiator who knows his salt.

• Wenger bought French centre-back Sebastien Squillaci from Sevilla FC last summer to shore up the Arsenal back line. Squillaci had just turned 30 when he signed the dotted line for Arsenal. Wenger also signed Mickael Silvestre—then 31—before the 2008-09 season.

• Wenger spent £16.5 million to secure a move for Zenit St. Petersburg star Andrei Arshavin at the 11th hour of the 2009 winter transfer window. While that figure pales in comparison to some of the cash splashed by Manchester City or Liverpool in recent months, from Wenger's perspective, it's tantamount to parting with his father's watch (if he has one, but you get the idea).

• Wenger welcomed back former Arsenal defender and member of the 2003-04 Invincibles squad Sol Campbell, signing the defender to a loan deal in winter 2010. Again, his hand was forced, as Arsenal were lacking in options at centre-back.

In each of these cases, Wenger did what was required of him. The most viable options may have run counter to his principles, but he went through with them regardless. He put the club before his personal needs, so to speak.

This weekend, Arsenal begin a three-game stretch that could well determine the course of their 2011-12 campaign.

Facing Liverpool on Saturday, the club travels next to eastern Italy for the Champions League playoff return leg on Wednesday against Udinese Calcio (Arsenal lead 1-0 on aggregate). This brutal run of games culminates at Old Trafford next weekend, where a showdown against Manchester United will have a large portion of the world watching rapturously.

Having lost captain Cesc Fabregas in a £35 million move to FC Barcelona earlier this week, Arsenal will also be without starters Jack Wilshere (injury), Alex Song and Gervinho (suspension) against Liverpool.

After witnessing his side's dreary display against Udinese, Wenger seems to have realized that his squad are in desperate need of an injection to galvanize them as they charge head-first into this maelstrom.

Enter Samir Nasri.

The man from Marseille—who set the Premier League alight last season with his superb early-season displays—appears set to complete a rumored £25 million move to Manchester City by weekend's close as noted by ESPN.

Nasri is entering the final season of his contract, so should he remain with Arsenal this season without signing an extension, he would be free to leave on a Bosman transfer next summer (meaning a club could sign him without needing to pay a transfer fee to Arsenal.)

While Wenger has yet to pull the trigger on the deal—whether out of a wounded sense of pride that yet another of his top players would rather leave, or simple belligerence at seemingly being "played" by Nasri's team of agents, who have incited rumors about their client potentially moving to Manchester United in possible attempts to drive up his asking price—the Frenchman still has Nasri on the club's books.

In all likelihood, Wenger would do anything to avoid playing a man who has professed no interest in remaining with the club this season. It's an affront to the club.

But given the vital importance of this Saturday's match against Liverpool, Wenger's dragging of his feet in this protracted affair may well prove to alter the course of Arsenal's season, which is in danger of derailing entirely.

Since he has not played extensively during Arsenal's preseason due to his unresolved transfer situation, and is lacking match fitness, Wenger may well roll the dice and start the French maestro.

His craft and guile have been sorely missed so far this season in an Arsenal midfield that has either looked too inexperienced (Aaron Ramsey) or too long in the tooth (a past-his-prime Tomas Rosicky.) Though Ramsey showed glimpses of his attacking potential in the Udinese first leg, counting on him to pull the strings in a match as important as Saturday's is a heavy gamble.

Should Nasri play against Liverpool, his penchant for delivering on the grandest stages (remember his two goals against Manchester United at the Emirates in November 2008?) could prove instrumental in sparking a Gunner victory.

Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to play Nasri rests with Wenger. Should he make a statement—those who do not wish to remain at Arsenal have no business wearing the red-and-white shirt on the Emirates pitch—or should he kowtow to the rising pressure that threatens to engulf his camp should his side fail to get a quality result, it promises to be a major talking point.

I have too much respect for Wenger to judge him, no matter his eventual choice in the matter.

Should he decide to play Nasri, I'll understand his reasoning. He wants what's best for the club. If that means checking his pride at the door and playing Nasri, he'll do it.

Should he decide against playing the Arsenal No. 8, I'll support that decision as well. Because, let's face it—Nasri has acted like a you-know-what this offseason. Should he score tomorrow, I doubt I'll celebrate. (Okay, that's a joke.)

Either way, the Liverpool match has been a highlight in recent seasons. Let's hope tomorrow provides another scintillating chapter to what has become one of the premier fixtures of the Premier League season.