You will not find too many Arsenal fans with many good things to say about the performance of Nacho Monreal against West Ham, as the Spanish left back was all at sea and hopelessly out of place against the hat-trick hero of the Hammers. And even though Andy Carroll is a bit of a special case and Arsenal will not have to face him this weekend, is could be time for Arsene Wenger to drop Monreal to the bench and give Kieran Gibbs a chance.
There are a couple of good reasons for starting Gibbs against Crystal Palace on Sunday and the first is that the game at the Emirates is likely to be dominated by Arsenal as we try to break down a spirited and solid defence. Gibbs may have been the second choice left back this season but he still appears to have the edge when it comes to the attacking side of the role.
Wenger has actually been using him as a left winger so he obviously has not given up on Gibbs and the second reason why now might be the right time to give him a run in the side is the Euro 2016 tournament. Gibbs will still be hoping to be part of the England squad but he missed the last international break because lack of game time meant he was not picked.
But he is very close as Roy Hodgson called him up when Ryan Bertrand picked up a knock. Gibbs was already away on a break unfortunately but it does mean that a run of games and some good performances could see him on the plane to France and that would surely provide a big inspiration to the player.
What do you think Gooners?