Thoughts on a best starting XI
This is the time of the summer when many of us are trying to figure out what Arsenal’s best starting XI will look like. Last season there was little doubt what our best team would be, with many of the staple players in place already and the new members (Arteta and Mertesacker in particular) seemed to slot in easily, either due to filling an injury spot or replacing an outgoing player. This year there’s some uncertainty that makes this discussion quite an interesting one.
For one, there’s still the single largest unknown in van Persie, who remains at the club, even though rumours still abound about his imminent departure. Obviously, if he stays at Arsenal, he will continue in his capacity as centre forward and main goal scorer. (Whether or not he remains captain is something that’s been hotly debated; I for one believe he should pass on the armband to one of two potential captains in Vermaelen, the currently vice-captain, or Arteta. The latter has displayed incredible control over midfield with his ball possession and tireless effort on the pitch, while also maintaining a very mature and disciplined image to the media. I like Vermaelen as well, but think Arteta’s experience would give him the edge in the running for club captain). In any event, whether or not van Persie is captain, if he remains he will be first choice central striker with Giroud providing backup either from the bench or in rotation for cup ties. I’d hate to see the Ligue 1 top goalscorer not get regular starting time at the club, but we still have no idea exactly what’s going to happen up front. I’m assuming the Dutchman will move on, since there’s been far too much activity involved in this direction to ignore.
Podolski can also play centre forward, but I feel will more than likely play as a left winger and will mirror Walcott on the right. It will be interesting to see in which positions Wenger chooses to play these top class attackers, or whether he’s open to swapping positions from time to time. One player who seems likely to have a solid starting spot is Cazorla, who is a creative player with technical ability, skill, and versatility; without much doubt, it seems he’ll slot in to the “Cesc” role as a playmaker to unleash the front line attackers. The change in midfield will most likely be Arteta taking up a spot alongside Alex Song in the deep midfield. This isn’t such a stretch, since Arteta did a lot of connecting play from the back to the front last season when Song strayed forward to attempt a creative contribution (which worked on occasion, but left the defense exposed). When Wilshere returns, he may rotate with either of these players, but the issue is he’s been out for a full year, so I’d bet Wenger will ease him back in and see where he’s most comfortable at that time.
Much of the defense is a pretty straight forward selection, in my opinion. Szczesny between the sticks is our best option (even if I’d prefer a quality keeper as competition for #1), with Sagna and Santos as full backs. I know some prefer Gibbs and, though he’ll be a great defender some day, I don’t think he has the composure we need at the back right now. Rotating between Santos and Gibbs will give us variety at left back and provide an easy option for resting whichever player does get the go ahead as first choice. The same is the case with the central defenders. I like our top three and find it hard to choose between them. I think it will come down to which pair works best together and the individual challenges of each particular team we face: last season I liked Koscielny and Mertesacker, the former providing solid tackling and crunch time defending, while the latter has the best positioning of any of the three and an added height advantage. Vermaelen is still a machine and I feel works best with Koscielny when paired. On any given game day (even a cold Saturday at Stoke) I’d be happy with either selection or combination of these three players Wenger chooses.
It’s not an easy thing to do, but I think I’ve found my favoured starting XI. Assuming RvP leaves and Wilshere’s return is staggered, I think we’ll see these players making the cut in most Premier League matches:
Make what you will of this. I am certainly open to discussion here, so feel free to drop a line and let me know where you think our players will find themselves in a month’s time. The fact that it isn’t easy to choose a starting XI means that we have more quality in the squad now than perhaps we did last season, which can only be a good thing for the team and our hopes of silverware this time around.
Cheers.
why arsenal dont include ryo miyachi on starting xl and gervinho in the bench,ryo is very fast player and this can be good for our atackers,and i dont think that cazorla is much more better player then walcott and especially chamberlaine who helps the defence too.you now that cazorla is 27 years old,theo walcott is 23 and ox chamberlaine is almost 20 years old,i would prefer to see walcott or chamberlaine in starting xl in epl games,but in champions league maybe that is better to se cazorla in starting xl and put malcott on the bench.and why cazorla?
because he has more experience than walcott and ox chamberlaine.
vermaelen must be included with the pair of coscielny…gibbs is much better option IMO….if sahin comes, arteta can be the cam and sahin takes the place of arteta, then walcott must be out and cazorla in the rw
i can’t belive you compare koscielny and mertesacker with verminator…and you let him out of first 11…he is one of the best defender in the world…both of your chosen are not evenly close with his level. he has pace, technique, passing well, he has all and you let him out. i’d better say that he is the single good defender on the team and both koscielny and per are in 1st eleven because we didn’t have another defender better.
There has τ̲̅ȍ be a team balance… Ϟϑτ̲̅ just †нε individual talents.. Wenger needs τ̲̅ȍ find †нε right mix and we would be gunning for glory…
George,thanks for the selection but i must see the verminator in every arsenal squad that appears on the pitch.
In case you have no idea, wenger has reverted his formation to 4-4-2 which means the backline will consist of shz in goal, Sagna, verm kos clichy, while song in defensive mid. Walcot7,arteta8,podolsky9,Girioud10,cazorla11. Subs Faby, francis k,Per M,Chamblein A,Rozisky, Ramsey and Gervihno
D formation is right,only to include vermalean to pear kos
ma best line up whud be syzny,koscienly,verminator,gibbs Cocquelin,song,Arteta,carzol,podolski,gervinho,Giroud sub mannone,santos,per,ramsey,wallcot,chamberlain,rosicky,jenkison,yennarris elsfield gooner til i die
Varmalaen in the place of Per.
Lwazii
Walcott must go, I think he have failed. His main problem is playing well for two conservetive games, he have zero concistency. Verm must play. I also have a feeling we need a good and hard holder, relying on Song does us no good, we considered 49 goals last season and Song fail in his traditional role which is covering the defence.
there is no doubt with the team but t doesnt have a captain then. i would prefer the Vaminator to pair up with the ever improving Kos since he is our Captain to be
i totally agree Per and laurent have a better partnership than any other two defensive pairings.
Am seeing trophies comin to emirate dis time round. We av quality player to rotate.
Ur starting xi is okay ,where did u want to put vermalen or rvp in case he did nt go ?
Vermaelen can slot in with Koscielny. I’m not convinced of the Verm/Merte pairing yet, but the Kos/Merte pairing is one I like. So when Vermaelen plays, Koscielny should play, but in games where Mertesacker plays j think Koacielny should play.
wilshere? vermaelen?
iz wel with me but y martsk instead of vamaln?
Really I believe that Robin van persie should be inclusive in your starting eleven bcos its necessary for us to keep our captain and also vermalen ahead of the german defender.
Vermaelen should play and per on bench i also prefer theo to play right wing .
Arsenal will be hot this season. They will be strong challengers for trophies this season. Am proud to be a guna. Up Gunas.
We have seen nothing from Theo to suggest he could be successful as a full-time striker apart from his stated desire to play there. His goals have come from the right side almost exclusively and I have doubts about the quality of his control if played through the middle.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. His goals mostly come from the right because he’s played almost exclusively as a RW, so that doesn’t surprise me. I agree Bout his control, I worry he will squander many more opportunities due to weaker technique and decision making.
I agree with u, i dont he has the skills to play up front and sh’d not even be on the starting eleven
Liverpool have made a bid for woeful Walcott so time for him to move on as he,ll never get
passed the ;mediocre player;stage ,seven seasons under Wenger prove it ?
Well, a good team selection, but van persie is going, so delete him out of the selection, lets give giroud a chance.
RVP on the bench? did you really think he was leaving….. Where is Vermaalen?
Crack is wack.
and our captain sitting on the bench, lol
He volunteered for it!
Yeah. Love your selection and I would select this same players as well but Theo walcott is the only fear I have coz he is not consistent and sometimes played as if he never played football @ all. So I prefer the OX or Gervinho, both players are skillful.
Haven’t seen Gerv on the right much. If he can be successful and effective there, I wouldn’t mind Wenger putting him on. Pod on he left, Gerv on the right, Walcott sub.
u can’t leave verm out of starting XI come on
Seems Vermaelen is the point people are focusing on and I get it. I think he’s fantastic and want him to start games if the pairing of CBs benefit his playing style and the team. I think he’ll likely get more starts than Per.
where vermaelen
d selection was ok but i wil prefer rvp t play 4rm right wing and giroud t b may striker bcos of his strength and walcot b on d bench
I we lyk 2 se vermilator nd kosyn x1, gibbs nd couq are d left nd right devender, bt at d middle if song left d squard let us Arteta,Cazorla. Ramsey,walcot, Podolski nd finaly Giroud if Rvp leave
u cnt hv verminator on e bench , otha thn tht t luks solid
I see. Maybe if Vermaelen wore that Chinese warrior outfit it would ensure him a starting spot…
then cazorla on the right with diaby/rosicky in the middle
or gervinho.
wenger should stop taking this risk of using players out of their positions it cost us alot in the past. walcott on the wing will cause him to be inconsistent.
i believe if we build more creativity in the midfield walcott can use his pace to get the final ball and score goals for us a la andy cole.
Yeah because changing Henry, rvp from their original position worked out horribly didn’t it
Verminator on the bench??? That will never happen unless he’s injured.
Gervinho has had a good preseason and I expect him to give a massive contribution this season.
I would rather have him on the left with podolski at centre foward.
I’m torn with the options at the front. I’d like to see Podolski at CF and Gerv as LW, but Giroud may impress, as I think he will. Challenges like these for Wenger are great to see. You’d rated have many good options than too few.
Jack will have a Ramsey(2011) season, meaning he will be inconsistent after a year out of the game. Ramsey will have a much better 2012 season. He played well for GB and will play well for Arsenal this coming season.
Ramsey last season was unlucky and unfortunate, but he’ll make good this time around, I think. I’m not convinced he’ll get a lot of league time, maybe as a sub, cup ties as well. He’s still building himself.
Only problem is the Olympic Games is mainly for under 23,s with three players overage per
mitted,and is played very much in a festival/carnival like atmosphere with other young players
trying to make an impression,rather a different atmosphere at Stoke or Sunderland middle of
winter (December/January ) so Aaron Ramsey hasn,t yet proved he can handle the big game
mentality ,specifically in the Premier League ?
The defense will be Verm and Kosh. Per will be on the bench. Poldy will likely occupy the CF role with Gervinho/ox on the left. Giroud and Poldy will rotate based on form
i think its a decent starting 11. Although i am more inclined to give Gervinho the start at right wing/RF. I also believe this season will tell us just how effective Mertesacker will be. I think the fact that CB in the Prem are pretty much held accountable for their space was a jump for him because if u watch German football there is alot more covering and alot more discipline when it comes to CB venturing forward. But he looks a good defender to me and we must admit that once he settled in we conceded fewer goals. So i agree with him starting. Also i know everyone is on about AOC but what about Coquelin starting…..just tossing it out there.
I wonder exactly where Coquelin will fit in. Many don’t know whether he will play midfield or right back, which puts him in a dangerous place. I think any player would rather be the best at one position rather an viewed as merely good at many. I like his potential and think he’ll settle a couple years down the road, but right now there’s no real spot for him (maybe a sub, but that’s all).
My option 4 a statin XI is sxney sagna kos vermenlen santos song Arteta cazorla walcout Rvp podoski sub : chambaline gevicho & giroud
I personally would like to see A.W. choose a 4-4-2 formation.
I think that was the best Arsenal site.
Sanga-Vermaelen-Koncienly-Santos
Walcott-Arteta-Carzorla-Myiachi
RVP-Podolski
That would leave Mertetsacker Song Giroud Gervinhio as rotation players.
Wilshire and Diaby would come in later stage,
I like Myiachi a lot and I think he will shine and the Speed of both Walcott and Myiachi would cause problems whoever faces them!
You’ve played song-artreta, kosc-mert at wrong positions, swap them, & a new cb/vermi would be ahead, also rosciky would like to get in, ox/gervi would be great instead of walcot, we should sell him, he would be gone for atleast 20m€…
Mertesacker and Kos were played that way for part of last season. Per always on the right from what I remember. The midfield is much more fluid, so I’d expect to see Song and Arteta overlap somewhat.
Theo Walcott should start on the right wing. The OX on the bench, whether you like it or not Theo is more experienced and faster just what Arsenal need from their wingers. Look at Podolski his very experienced in playing HIGH quality football and Theo Walcoot is not any worse than Podolski. Vermaelen should start with Kolcielny, Mertesacker is way to slow and he is not more affective than Vermaelen.
Good points on Walcott. He’s one of the players for whom there’s really no strong competition. Per doesn’t have the speed, but he knows what he’s doing and has a good head on his shoulders. I’m torn on Vermaelen. I think I might take him over Kos in a pinch and pair him with Mertesacker. Again, it depends in the match being played.
I reckon it’s quite solid, because we need to start blooding all the new players, other wise the same thing with park will happen
I feel bad for the guy. He probably had high hopes when he came here. No one will give him the time of day now. He can’t actually be that bad, maybe he should be getting more shots as a sub to get more minutes on the pitch, not in your United matches, but maybe v. teams in the lower end of the table.
what bout” Thomas Vermaelen? He must not be left out for first XI. Our Verminator.
It’s a tough one for me. I think he’s a brilliant defender, but with three quality CBs, it’s hard for me to say he should start every game. I’m happy substituting him in for either Mertesacker or Koscielny. Maybe Vermaelen/Koscielny will be the best combination. I think time will tell.
I feel defensively Vermaelen can give us a lot at left back. I would have him start instead of Santos. I would also start Gervinho instead of Walcott on the right and AOC on the left with Podolski up front. I feel like that would be the best starting XI.
How do you feel about the midfield?
chamberlain should start on the right and walcott on the bench to rotate with giroud up front.
its time to get him off the wing and try him as a striker. its a waste to keep playing him there and real wingers sit on the bench
That’s another thing I’ve considered to have The Ox involved, but even though he has talent and a lot of promise, I don’t think he’s solid enough to include in a starting XI. In a couple of season maybe. He has moments, but he’s more potential now that realized winger, in my opinion. I’m with you that Walcott has to up his game if he wants to keep a starting spot though.
Geo
chamberlian should start on the right n theo beach.vermaelen should start also let pre beach
4 me, i’ld prefer a 442 formation.. Szny, sagna, kos, verm, santos.. Cazorla, song, arteta, gervinho.. Vp nd podoski/giroud.. Wah do u guyz fink???
Take out walcot, per, and replace them with Gervinho and verminator then see how goals will rain in AFC. oX and walcot can come as subs.incase Song is sold off, Sahin, Rambo, wilshere,or Diaby will slot in well.