So, it’s all come down to this.
Arsenal face Chelsea at Wembley in the FA Cup final on Saturday, with a win desperately needed.
After a dreadful season and a fifth-placed finished, Arsene Wenger is clinging onto his job, and the outcome of the final will be key to his future.
Lifting the FA Cup will also give everyone involved with the club something to look back on and say ‘hey, it wasn’t all that bad!’
With the game being must win, Wenger needs to get his team selection right but, as we all know, it’s not about Arsene here.
Here’s my team for the FA Cup final.
David Ospina usually gets to play in the FA Cup games but, with him seemingly out the exit door in the summer I’m not just going to hand out charity cases in the form of cup game starts. Petr Cech is the superior goalkeeper and has big game, cup final experience that will serve us well, so he starts on Saturday.
We seem to have somewhat avoided the annual injury crisis this year, although it’s not really done us any good. However, it appears that crisis may have struck at just the wrong time.
Laurent Koscielny is unavailable due to suspension following his downright moronic red card against Everton on the final day of the season. Gabriel also suffered a knee injury in that game and is expected to miss the final. Shkodran Mustafi is also unlikely to be ready in time, still suffering the effects of concussion, with the club being forced to comply with strict rules on head injuries.
Now I’m at a crossroads. I want to play 3-4-3 to mirror Chelsea and give us the best chance of winning, but, it would mean a makeshift back three.
Do I, don’t I?
It’s a tough choice but, I’m going to bite the bullet and take the risk, it’s a big one, but, French dramatist Pierre Corneille once said “To win without risk is to triumph without glory”, so with his words ringing in my ears, I press forward with my plans.
Per Mertesacker will take Koscielny’s spot as the central centre-back and I will need him to use his experience to both marshal the defence and lead the team as a whole. Along with Cech, he is one of the senior players in the group and will need to show heart, fight and give everything he’s got in the locker.
To his left is Nacho Monreal. The Spaniard has operated well in the back three when he has been required to play there and having scored the equaliser against Manchester City in the semi-final, another big game performance is needed, but at the other end of the pitch this time.
Considering that Mertesacker has played over 500 career games, won four domestic trophies, has 104 caps for Germany and won the FIFA World Cup, while Nacho Monreal is a seasoned professional with over 350 career games, is it slightly concerning I have more faith in young Rob Holding than the both of them?
Holding has been superb since coming into the team towards the back end of the season and another massive performance will be needed if he is going to deal with the mercurial Eden Hazard and serial wind up merchant Diego Costa. We know you’ve got it in you though, Rob.
Hector Bellerin keeps his right wing-back spot in the absence of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is hopefully fit enough for the bench. Stopping the marauding Marcos Alonso will be Bellerin’s task, but I need him to get forward at pace when the Chelsea man is caught up the pitch.
Thankfully, Kieran Gibbs is fit, so he takes the left wing-back spot vacated by Monreal. His task is the same as Bellerin’s, keep an eye on Victor Moses and get at him when the chance presents itself.
Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey remain in the centre of midfield, having formed a solid pairing. As good as Chelsea’s midfield pairing of N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic is, I believe that Ramsey’s forward running will keep them on the back foot and not allow them to dominate the middle of the park, allowing Xhaka to take control and dictate from deep. Let’s hope so anyway.
Now for the front three.
Mesut Ozil is out on the left but allowed the license to drift and create. The German has been in good form recently, scoring goals and making chances, so more of the same please Mesut.
Lucas Perez is out right, and although you think it’s because I love him a little too much, there is tactical reasoning behind it. Firstly, he brings a goal threat, something that every team needs. Secondly, he presses high and squeezes defences, something that may bring out mistakes in Chelsea’s defence. Thirdly, I’ve moved Alexis Sanchez to striker.
Yes, Sanchez is up top, and for good reason.
David Luiz has been superb this season and looks a completely different player to the one that Chelsea had before, excelling in the ball-playing sweeper role. However, we know Sanchez likes to chase, press and get in the face of defenders, something that will expose Luiz, in turn, bringing out the mistakes he is prone to making. We saw it at The Emirates earlier in the season, let’s hope we see it at Wembley on Saturday.
So that’s my team but, who will Arsene go with?
We’ll find out at 4:30 pm on Saturday.
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