I must admit that I am very surprised at the Arsenal starting line-up for the Premier League clash with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. It smacks of extreme caution to me, when I expected the Frenchman to try to build on the midweek win and take advantage of the low confidence that the Black Cats must surely have after shipping eight goals at the home of the Saints last week.
But the boss has still not given Lukas Podolski a start and has gone for the under performing Oxlade-Chamberlain instead. He has also kept Mathieu Flamini in the starting XI while playing our club captain Mikel Arteta alongside him. The strangest decision, for me, is that Wenger has stuck with the Spanish left back Nacho Monreal in the centre of defence and kept the better defender that is Calum Chambers at right back.
Witho no Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Mesut Ozil, Joel Campbell or Podolski on the pitch, our line up seems to be a bit negative and I think we will struggle to break down a side that Gus Poyet will have been drilling on their defensive duties all week.
There is some good news in the name of Theo Walcott being on the list of subs, along with Rambo and the rest.
Szczesny
Chambers, Mertesacker, Monreal, Gibbs
Arteta, Flamini, Cazorla
Alexis, Welbeck, Chamberlain
subs: Martinez, Bellerin, Ramsey, Rosicky, Campbell, Podolski, Walcott
Obviously I hope that I am proved wrong and Wenger has got it bang on, but I am a bit worried that our sluggish start to the season will continue.