It's an away game at Goodison tomorrow in what will be a very important build-up to our midweek fixture.
Overview
Team news is mixed: Arteta, who sustained an ankle injury against Besiktas, is out. For how long, remains to be seen, but Guardian suggests it'll be at least two weeks before our skipper can help us again. Wenger admitted he may have to get creative if the ankle sprain is more than just a sprain.
This is an injury that worries me, I have to say. I've already argued Arteta's case and came to the conclusion that Arsene hasn't made Arteta captain to then drop the Spaniard in favour of a shiny new buy. This effectively rules out the possibility of a signing in that area, because we are already well-stocked on numbers in the centre of the park. There certainly remains a worry of Arteta being overrun in big games, but we better have it this way and figure something out, than have Mikel unavailable altogether. So people suggesting Arteta's injury is a blessing in disguise, an occurrence that may force the manager's hand in bringing in a 'DM' should sort out their priorities. I don't, in any way, think that the absence of one of our most heavily-relied upon midfielder is a good thing.
On the bright side, everyone else, who came through the Besiktas game, seems alright:
"We just have Mikel Arteta who is out for sure from the Everton game. Everybody else we have to check this morning, but we have no major [new] problems apart from him compared to Besiktas".
So, apart from Gibbs, Arteta and (possibly) Sanogo we have the same squad. Even better, the Germans are back in contention:
"I will check of course today and tomorrow to see if they will be available for selection. That is a target I fixed to them to prepare to be ready for selection against Everton. Will I use the three? Certainly not because they lack competition but they might be included for Saturday".
My bet is that these will replace Arteta, Miquel and Bellerin/Campbell which brings us to the matter of team selection.
Defense
It's Szczesny in goal, no doubt about it. He performed brilliantly against Besiktas after not the best of displays against Palace, so no reason whatsoever to drop Wojciech.
Debuchy and Monreal will continue on the flanks, having also put in a strong outing in Turkey. Besides, there really is no one to replace them.
The central pair looks the most interesting to me. Arsene, from my point of view, has a legitimate reason to play any two defenders. Mert can start on the bench because he's only just returned, Koscielny may be omitted due to his Achilles problems and Chambers is a) not really a CB and b) has played a lot of minutes recently. Moreover, the Englishman can be utilised further up the pitch, so no eyebrows will be raised should Calum not feature in central defense come tomorrow.
It's a tough choice, really. I'd go with the Mertescielny axis to give Chambers a breather, but only if both Mertesacker and Koscielny are alright.
Midfield
I'm almost positive Wilshere will start, that after being talked up and shielded from criticism by Wenger. Though Jack will still have to find his on-pitch position and push someone down the pecking order to become a regular starter, Arsene definitely trusts the Englishman and I see no reason why we shouldn't do the same. True, Jack is a bit hit-and-miss at the moment regarding his performances, but I'm ready (as most Arsenal fans are) to provide him with the support he needs to blossom. That he has potential to do so, I don't doubt.
The other two can prove to be tricky. I'd personally start Ozil and then think long and hard about who should replace Arteta in his holding position. With Ozil, it's obvious. We've lacked his penetration and ability to slice defences apart in the opening two games, so he should come back and assume his position, if fully fit.
It's difficult to pick the third player in our triquetra. It's either Chambers (who's done brilliantly thus far, though in a slightly different position) or Flamini. I see why people crave to start Chambers there, especially after all the talk from Wenger about how he sees Chambers in defensive midfield in the future. But I still think it's a risky thing to do. Chambers is the only back-up to Mertescielny we currently have, and if the Englishman gets crocked then we'll find ourselves down to four senior defenders. And this isn't pretty. So I'd go with Flamini. And his desire to defend his teammates is not the last thing on my list "Why I'd pick Flamini".
Attack
The trickiest bit. Should Arsene reconsider his strategy of playing with a target man after a weak showing from both Sanogo and Giroud? Or was their respective weak performances down to little service?
If it's the second scenario, then Ozil's reintroduction should do the trick. If, for some reason, both Frenchmen are unable to produce at the moment, then keep the elder in reserve and drop Sanogo altogether.
And play Sanchez up front. Truth be told, I'm excited about this prospect. The Chilean up front with Ozil feeding him is a mouthwatering possibility.
However, we also have to think about the flanks. I'd have no problem starting Oxlade after his strong cameos from the bench, but who should play on the left? We have some options to consider, all are not ideal and this is the part where I lament Walcott's absence. Had he been fit, I'd start him on the right and Oxlade on the left.
He's not, however, and so we have Cazorla, Campbell and Podolski to choose from. The main question is this: will Arsene trust Santi enough to start him after two bad outings? If he does, then Cazorla starts and Poldi is a bench sub. Campbell may not even make the squad. If he doesn't, then I'd go with the German, considering it may be one of his last games.
The verdict
Like it was the case last time, we have options in attack and midfield (especially since the Germans are back in action), but are once again a bit short in defense. Mertesacker's return steadies our ship a bit, however, so we can push defensive worries our of our heads for the time being and focus on getting a result, preferably with a good performance to go with it.
Goodison is a hard place to visit, but it's not like we are Burnley or QPR (no offence). Should we catch our rhythm (aargh), we can look forward to getting the three points.
Unfortunately, I'll most likely miss a chunk of the game, maybe even the size of 90 minutes, as I'll be at the airport. Had the kick-off not been a late one, I would have managed, but it's not. However, normal service will resume on August 24th when I'll lay my hands on some decent Internet and get back to you with my thoughts on the game.
Until then, have a good weekend.
And c'mon you Gunners
P.S. Completely forgot about Aaron Ramsey. Of course the Welshman will start, given he'll miss our midweek game. Ramsey is likely to feature alongside Flamini and that puts in jeopardy Wilshere's chances. Maybe the Englishman will play under the striker and Ozil will be on the bench. I don't exclude Wilshere's appearance on the left, at the expense of Cazorla either. That will put Podolski even farther down the line.