Unai Emery must utilise his strongest front line against struggling Southampton on Saturday.
I have already done articles on the defence and midfield that I feel Emery will select for the game against the Saints. Now onto the forwards, and you do not need to be a rocket scientist to predict who he will select.
I cannot see him not going with Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
I know he has dropped Pepe for the last couple of games but at home against Southampton, he simply has to pick him.
How he lines them up is a whole different matter, the manager is a law unto himself with formations but if he does not select Pepe against these opponents then you have to think it will start to damage the young man’s confidence.
If he goes with this trio then it is likely he will play Pepe on the right, Aubameyang on the left and Lacazette in the centre.
So, the lineup I think the Spaniard will go with in this must-win game is
Leno
Kolasinac
Luiz
Sokratis
Bellerin
Guendouzi
Xhaka
Ozil
Pepe
Lacazette
Aubameyang.
You can find my articles on the defence here and on the midfield here.
The formation is basically 4-2-1-2-1 sort of, a Christmas tree type with variability built-in. The likes of Kolasinac and Bellerin will have to utilise the wings and the likes of Pepe and Auba should have the freedom to cut inside at will.
But we are talking about Unai Emery so be prepared to be surprised. I mean, he does bewilder us almost every single game, doesn’t he?