The chances are that Arsene Wenger will select the same Arsenal centre backs to face Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital tonight, but after the central pairing of Mustafi and Koscielny produced a Keystone Cops kind of moment to allow Antoine Griezmann to score from out of nowhere and put Arsenal on the back foot in this Europa League semi-final, I think he should at least consider changes to our back line.
The performances of Chambers and young Mavropanos against Manchester United at Old Trafford gives the Frenchman another big reason for thinking about swapping the Arsenal defence around. They were committed and focused and, let’s be honest, a lot better than we have seen Koscielny and Mustafi play of late.
Add to this the likelihood of Diego Simeone starting tonight’s game with Diego Costa up front and we have another reason. The former Chelsea striker has bullied Koscielny in the past and we all know that he can be a real thorn in any team’s side.
It may be a risk to play the inexperienced pair of Chambers and Mavropanos in such a big and crucial match, but where did the experience of Koscielny and Mustafi get us last week? Maybe it is more of a risk to stick with the proven players as they have proved time and again that they are not up to the job. What do you think Gooners?
D.N.