Arsenal's Best Possible Starting XI?

Didn’t he play with Mustafi-Kos-Holding at least once last season? I don’t think he necessarily prefers that there be one of Monreal/Kolasinac there, it’s just worked out that way through suspension and unavailability.

Not sure which is our best back 3 between Mustafi-Kos-Monreal and Mustafi-Kos-Holding, or even Holding-Kos-Monreal. Monreal is probably our best organiser back there so my feeling is it’s probably the first or maybe the third of those options, unless Mustafi improves in this respect.

Couldn’t really say with much authority though, tbh, having not seen many matches down the stretch last season. Would be interested in what other people think is our best back 3.

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Monreal Koscielny Mustafi

Holding Mertesacker Chambers as the backup

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Don’t see when Chambers is going to get game time as the 6th CB, would be much better to sell him for what we can, IMO, so that we don’t have another Joel Campbell situation on our hands. We should learn our lesson for once…

I think Monreal has been transitioned to a left centre back now. And I think the fullback thing has been one of necessity since Per, Chambers and Mustafi were unavailable.

In any case:

-------------------Cech-----------------

------Musti-----Kos-----Monreal-----

Ox----------------------------------Kola----

--------Xhaka---------Ramsey--------

--------------------Ozil----------------------

---------Laca----------Sanchez—

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^This is our best eleven right now, Ozil playing behind Laca and Alexis as a deadly striking duo and Ox over Bellerin until Bel gets his act together a little more.

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Or until Ramsey goes down with a hamstring injury, then Ox can take over in the middle where he rightly belongs. Then and only then is Bellerin allowed back in the team.

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I’m quietly confidant per will have locked down a spot in our starting back 3 within a month or 2, One last world class season in our new formation that suits him perfectly

Nah Ox is actually looking fierce at wing back for me. He seems to flourish with bags of space to run into, as he admitted himself recently.

He wouldn’t get that at CM, he’s just not a long term fit for a ball playing team like Arsenal in center mid. His athleticism can look amazing one minute only for his lack of positioning and awareness to let him down the next.

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People went overboard on Monreal after the Leicester debacle, he just shouldnt have been the main guy in the middle. Put him with Koscielny and Mustafi and he’s very solid indeed for a converted left back, ditto Rob Holding.

I see Kolasinac as more of a left wing back than a central defender, he’s just so offensive in his style of play and is more used to it with Schalke

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I can’t see any way that his body is not fucked. If you’re a 32 year old capable of playing a full season in the premier league you don’t announce your retirement for less than a year’s time. He must know he’s finished at the top level, at least as a 30 games a season player. Maybe the odd game here and there but I’m not expecting much tbh. Wenger seemed to be trying his best not to use him last year.

Agree with this. Everything looks pretty peachy as Well, apart from the fact that we are crying out for a CM.

He stiles me as the type of guy who would quit now if he didn’t have it in him but you could be right

Close the thread until further notice @Cristo has nailed it perfectly and clearly for everyone to see.

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Oh goodness, everyone’s been so kind to me in this thread, I just don’t know how to take the applause

Mine right now would be: Mustafi RCB, Koscielny CCB, Monreal LCB.

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Still think ox has to be in midfield there is a rough lump of coal there just waiting to be forged into a diamond.

Yep you’ve made that pretty clear :stuck_out_tongue:

Think there has to be some serious discussions concerning this after our first couple matches of the season. The Xhaka experiment is over, I just don’t see how can ever be any good for us. He’s about as bad as Flamini was in the twilight of his career, and it’s mind blowing because Xhaka is like 24 years old lol. Bellerin also is just fucking garbage don’t know what happened to him. We have to give a real look at Nelson right now. It’s true I’ve been wondering what additions we need to our squad but we really need a central midfielder and we need a RB as well.

--------------------------Cech------------------------
Holding----------------Mustafi----------------Nacho
Nelson-----OXLADE-----------Ramsey--------Sead
-----------------Theo----------Ozil-------------------
-----------------------Sanchez-----------------------

This is the attacking trio we were playing with a couple seasons ago when we were really on fire and destroyed United. I think we really need to give it another try because we need a couple guys who can actually finish obviously. And the midfield we need more athleticism and someone who’s not going to just continue to give the opposition free runs at our defense.

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So, we’re almost certainly going to revert back to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 now with Oxlade gone and not having to build our entire team around getting the most out of him.

Nothing surprises me anymore, so I expect to see Sanchez and Mustafi on the bench for a while as they are out of favour and things calm down.

Any takers for how we’ll start lining up again?

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I was thinking about bumping this thread today, cheers Cristo.

---------------------Cech--------------------
Bellerin—Mustafi--------Kosh-----Seakol
-------------Wilshere----Elneny------------
Walcott-------------Ozil----------Sanchez
------------------Lacazette-----------------

Bench: Ospina, Debuchy, Per, Nacho, Holding, Xhaka, Ramsey, Nelson, Iwobi, Giroud, Welbeck

Need to sit Ramsey down because he’s dumb. Mustafi and Sanchez I don’t see an issue with coming right back into the team. Transfer window is closed they have a week on international break to whine and bitch then it’s back to business. We need goals and movement up front badly so Theo back in. I reluctantly put Lacazette there because we spent so much money on him so you gotta give him a shot. Our team looks so shit with him up top but maybe with Sanchez and Theo providing assistance he can find more space to operate in. Honestly he’s the hope we’ve got. If he comes good maybe we’ve got a shot to do some damage.