Arsenal are currently in great form in the Premier League, turning things around since their thumping by Liverpool, but is their starting line-up doing enough?
The team is clearly playing very well at the moment, winning six of our last seven matches in all competitions, keeping five clean sheets in the process, but what is more interesting is that the current starting XI is possibly missing some of its better players.
The most obvious absentee at present is Mesut Ozil, whose last outing was against West Brom in August. The playmaker is ranked amongst our top two or three players in any position, but with our side in top form, does he merit automatic inclusion?
Some pundits claim he doesn’t work hard enough for the team, while many describe him as a luxury player, who can only be relied upon when he is playing well. A bad game for the German comes as a burden, but even at his worst he can find a key pass from nowhere which can create a goal, but is it enough?
Danny Welbeck is a player who will be challenging for the same role, and he has proved to be a key player when fit so far this season. The forward frees up plenty of space for his team-mates in attack, and has been a menace to defences, and has argued by pundits as a must-starter when fit.
Santi Cazorla is currently our forgotten man, having missed much of the past two seasons with injury. The Spaniard has clocked up 22 league appearances since the beginning of the 15-16 season, but all of those appearances were starts, and his creativity is something our side has lacked. At 32 years-of-age, and with his lack of match practice you would have to expect him to be used sparingly when he does return, but when fully-fit, would he displace Xhaka or Ramsey?
It will be great if the three could boost our options for the rest of the campaign, but which of them will walk back into the starting line-up when fit?
Pat J