Arsenal line-up vs Swansea - Midfield

Midfield

Defensive Mid – Coquelin

Apparently Arsenal made their first inquiries to Southampton regarding Morgan Schneiderlin. If Arsenal do sign Schneiderlin I would imagine he would play second fiddle to Francis Coquelin. Arsenal have not had a central midfielder like Coquelin since Gilberto Silva. What Coquelin does for Arsenal is irreplaceable. He sticks to what he is good at and does it exceptionally well for the benefit of the team.


Schneiderlin is a great player, but is not the kind of defensive midfielder that Arsenal need and would not do the same job as Coquelin. Schneiderlin is an all-round midfielder and would do great at Arsenal. But Arsenal already has Ramsey and Wilshere, both of whom are all-round midfielders and are very young still. Not to mention Santi Cazorla is playing the best football of his life right now in a position that Schneiderlin could also be in contention for.

Coquelin’s skill set makes his teammates better because he allows them to do what they do best. Cazorla is playing well because Coquelin allows him to. Alexis is more effective and contributes higher up the pitch rather than in his own half because Coquelin always him to. Mesut Özil is playing like the world-class player that he is because he is in better shape and because Coquelin always him to.

I think Arsenal will sign a defensive midfielder and I fully support that because they do need depth there. I don’t think that it is going to be a player that is currently being touted in the media though.

Central Mid – Cazorla

Michael Cox wrote a very interesting piece on Cazorla’s impact in Arsenal midfield this season. He is one of the candidates for Arsenal’s player of the year, along with a few other players.

His pass to Ramsey for Arsenal’s second goal was sublime. After that assist, his influence on the game grew.

Attacking Mid – Özil

Özil was brilliant on Monday against Hull. His flick to set up Alexis on the edge of the box in the second half was masterful. He did some good defensive work as well, picking off Huddlestone in dangerous areas of the pitch on a couple of occasions, one of which led to an Arsenal goal.

He genuinely seems to be enjoying himself the past two months. He is defending well and willingly and has cultivated an excellent understanding with all of his teammates. This is what Wenger envisioned when he signed Özil last summer.

Wide Right – Wilshere

Jack Wilshere

Ultimately Wenger will choose Wilshere to start over Walcott because he suited for this kind of game. Width on the right might be an issue but Bellerin can stretch the field and provide width when needed. Wilshere looked very sharp as a sub against Hull and he deserves to start right now.

Like Özil when he came back from injury, Wilshere looks more muscular and in shape. He also looked quicker. Maybe we are seeing the effects of Arsenal’s guru physio Shad Forsythe pay off.

Wide Left – Alexis

Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil

Alexis’ first goal was a bit lucky but his second goal was excellent. He had been put through by Cazorla a few minutes earlier and tried to chip the goalie but failed. This time when Ramsey put the Chilean through after an excellent run, Alexis was decisive by rounding the keeper and finishing in an empty net. That makes it five goals in five matches.

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