Raya, Timber, Gabriel, Saliba, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard, Eze, Gyokeres, Saka
Subs: Kepa, MLS, White, Mosquera, Merino, Norgaard, Nwaneri, Madueke, Trossard, Havertz, Martinelli
The bench alone is about a thousand times better then last season and so much more game changing ability on it.
We have so many different options that every time we drop points we can blame it on the team selection!
Eze is there bro.
Timber was originally at left back but I preferred full creation mode with mls, Eze, Zubi and ode in the box midfield.
Power and pace attack in front.
do they know Havertz exists
They do
“And these two XIs don’t include Kai Havertz (who’s recently been sidelined with a serious-sounding knee injury), and multiple-time Premier League champions in Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko.”
Raya
White - Saliba - Gabriel - Timber
Odegaard - Zubimendi - Rice
Saka - Gyokeres - Eze
White & Timber are ever reliable and in big games(if everyone is fit), Timber should start ahead of Calafiori & MLS.
Raya
Timber - Saliba - Gabriel - Calafiori
Odegaard - Zubimendi - Rice
Saka - Gyokeres - Eze
Cala to start if the opposition is weak offensively. Timber in his place and White on the right, if they’re a good team.
The only position I’d change is White for Timber.
————————Raya————————
-White—Saliba—-Gabriel——Calafiori——-—-———-Zubimendi————Rice—————————
—-Saka———Odegaard————Eze———————
But the bench would be the best in the PL:
…………Kepa
Timber—Kiwior—Mosquera—-MLS
Nwaneri ——Norgaard———Merino
Madueke ——-Havertz———Martinelli
As well as Dowman, Zinchenko, Trossard, Vieira and Nelson.
Any other answer is wrong
When I see our bench now I just think “competitive”. Proper players in good shape, good age (all good enough to start for a PL midtable team, if not a bit higher), not some questionable talents, or deadwood we can’t get rid of, who are just filling the required numbers but in reallity they are ghosts in the squad.
We haven’t had such a bench since the Invincibles era. Having guys like Wiltord, Kanu, Edu, Parlour, Van Bronckhorst, Luzny to step in… That’s proper quality you want on your bench when competing for big things.
So out of possession/on the team sheet I think we’ll see our regular 433 shape at least initially.
Raya - Timber Saliba Gabriel Calafiori - Zubimendi - Odegaard Rice - Saka Gyokeres Eze
But in possession I think Arteta will retry the 3241 experiment from a few years ago (following City’s treble season and the Havertz signing). Mainly to get Eze involved more centrally and the full back overlapping.
Interesting that so many people have opted for Calafiori over MLS at LB in their strongest 11. Personally, at both LB and RB, I think it depends on the opposition as to who I’d start but just shows how far the squad has evolved that we now have this level of strength and depth. I think we have 4 fantastic fullback options.
Overall, this just fills me with pride that we have so many options in each position now. As @SRCJJ was saying, our bench is so much better than last season and reminds me of the options we had when we last won the league.
I’d favour Calafiori over MLS at this stage of the season. MLS is a huge talent but still short on experience as we saw at times last season. He’s for the long-term at left back as I see Calafiori being the long-term replacement for Gabriel.
Likewise, Timber seems to be favourite at right-back. A far more sophisticated operator as much as I love Benny Blanco’s shit-house approach to the game.
For the first time we’re going into a season with EPL level players all along the bench, we have the quality in depth in every department. Without Eze I though we had a fair chance of competing for the title, with him, I have such a good feeling that we have some silverware coming our way this season and it could well be the big one.
Spurs winning the Europa League might just have been the best thing that happened to us. Gauntlet down. Bombs thrown. It’s time for Arsenal to really put Spurs in their place.
This is the best I’ve felt as an Arsenal fan since we won my first Double in 1998.
Looking at these line-ups I suspect there will be a lot of whinging about Arteta’s selections. I do not think he has given up on Martinelli nor is Madueke at LW dead in the water.
Has to be this line up and I hope Arteta doesn’t big brain this. The simplest approach is often the best approach. Just play to the strengths of all our attackers.
Eze has to be given a free role, starting from the left, but drifting in, and playing more central when he wants, and he shouldn’t be burdened with defending and tracking back. Eze is the biggest X factor we have, and he needs to be allowed to express himself. He just needs one moment of magic to produce a goal/assist. I hope Arteta doesn’t shackle him with a rigid game plan. Rice and Zubi are the hard workers in midfield, let them do all the running and covering.
The most difficult part in terms of a preferred XI is the fullback areas, I think between Timber/White and MLS/Caliafiori you can make an argument for any of them depending on the match. However I’d probably go:
Raya
Timber Saliba Gabby Caliafiori
Zubi
Odegaard Rice
Saka Gyokores Eze
The heavy competition/rotation on the left should be good both of them - gives MLS a chance to develop/prove himself, while Calafiori can prove he can stay fit when playing a more energetic role at FB.
Less beneficial on the right, but both have also had injuries
I may get a pile-on for this but I think Eze and Modueke are both x factor players. Both are good at ball carrying into the area.
Anyway, a good workman turns up with a fully stocked tool box. That’s what our squad is this season.
With Eze/Madueke and depending on how far your mileage goes for the latter, we at least have some alternative options to a Marti/Leo LW dynamic.
We’re going to be less predictable this season and now teams will need to try and figure out the hot points, who plays on the LW, rather than focus on just the right side.
Marti/Leo will get their games but I’m expecting way more deck-shuffling from Arteta this season based on our incomings.
Eze is so multidimensional that he can play a variety of roles and I know that will give Mikel a chub-on. I think everyone else has posted the possible line-ups I would like to see. But how fucking good is it that we now potentially have a new, exciting left-side to this team?!
