My Arsenal XI to Face Southampton in the League Cup by AT
After finally getting back on track in a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa, Arsenal welcome Southampton to the Emirates to kick off their Capital One Cup campaign. With so many injuries to deal with and a North London derby to keep an eye on, Arsene Wenger will have a lot of tricky decisions to make. But based on player performances and fatigue, here’s how I’d go about it.
Starting from the defence, David Ospina should get his first start for the club, that’s a bit of a certainty. With Monreal continuing to stay on the sidelines, Kieran Gibbs will keep his place at left-back. Laurent Koscielny has played in every game in all competitions so far, so it would be ideal to rest the Frenchman by moving Callum Chambers to join Per Mertesacker at central defence and bringing in Hector Bellerin at right-back.
Moving on to the middle of the park, I would go with Flamini and Wilshere at the heart of the midfield. Wilshere got a good rest during the weekend and should really take the field against the Saints, his midfield running will be very important against their possession game. Coming to the Number 10 position, I’d prefer Tomas Rosicky. The Czech has been in the shadows so far this season and will surely relish an opportunity to remind Arsene Wenger about what he’s missing.
Out on the flanks, my choices would be Oxlade-Chamberlain and Joel Campbell. The Englishman had a good game at Villa Park and will be eager to shine against his former club, while the Costa Rican new boy really deserves a first-team opportunity. Speaking of players who deserve a first-team opportunity, another notable one is Lukas Podolski, who I’d start up front against Southampton. The German’s lethal left foot will surely be a factor.
Arsenal:
Ospina; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Chambers, Gibbs; Flamini, Wilshere; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Rosicky, Campbell; Podolski.
Looking at this team, it certainly has the beating of Southampton whilst also being able to rest key players like Szczesny, Koscielny, Arteta, Ramsey, Ozil, Cazorla and Sanchez for the all important clash against Spurs at the weekend.
Anurag
ADMIN COMMENT: I, personally, am really looking forward to the game as I will be at the Emirates taking some pics with my Huawei Ascend P7 Arsenal Edition Smartphone. Look forward to lots of pics posted direct from the Emirates during the game. I’m keen on seeing Joel Campbell earn a permanent place in the Arsenal First Team…