Wenger gets a selection headache ahead of Marseille tie

Time to play Theo Walcott?

Arsene Wenger and his Arsenal side head into their home encounter with Marseille knowing that a victory will seal their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, provided that Borussia Dortmund don’t beat Napoli in Group F’s other fixture.

With Marseille having lost all four of their group games to date, a victory seems a foregone conclusion for the Gunners, but Elie Baup’s men have picked themselves up in recent weeks, claiming two victories in their last two games, thus giving them a bit of confidence coming to Emirates Stadium. “They have nothing to lose and that makes the French teams dangerous,” Wenger said in his pre-match press conference. “They have quality.”

That said, it’s imperative that he gets his team selection and tactics spot on in order to avoid being upset at home, leaving his side’s chances of claiming the group’s top spot hanging in the balance, given Napoli are level on points with them. Given his side’s form, the team basically picks itself, but with first-team regular Theo Walcottback in the frame following surgery on an abdominal injury, Wenger has a decision to make regarding who starts on the right flank–whether it’s Tomas Rosicky or Walcott. “I haven’t decided on Theo, but it’s fantastic to have him back,” he said.

Rosicky, dubbed “the little Mozart”, is certainly a lot more crafty than Walcott. He likes to cut inside off the flank and looks to link up with Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, and Santi Cazorla in the centre . He only has two created chances in his three appearances in the competition, but his willingness to get on the ball in order to pick a pass can help break down Marseille’s defence, which has leaked 10 goals in the four games played, which is the competition’s third-highest amount.

But one can argue–and rightly so–that in Cazorla and Ozil, Arsenal have all the craft that they need. The German in particular has been outstanding–typically–in the creative department, averaging a team-high 2.1 created chances per game in his four European appearances. Ramsey, too, can pick a fine pass. What the Gunners really need is directness.

Wenger certainly agrees.

“We have a lot of players who like to come to the ball,” he said before his side’s 2-0 home victory over Southampton, “so to have one or two who go behind and create space [is a big benefit].” The absences of Lukas Podolski, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Walcott–all direct players–deprived the Gunners of that difference-making element, that different dimension that can refresh what can at times be a narrow, somewhat restricted attack.

Starting Walcott instead of Rosicky would rejuvenate the Gunners going forward. “He gives us qualities that other players haven’t got,” Wenger added. “It gives us options to score, to go behind [defenders] to create space in the middle.”

Those qualities yielded a club-high 14 league goals for Walcott last season. He hasn’t netted yet domestically this campaign, but has one goal in the Champions League which, interestingly enough, came against Marseille in the group’s first round of fixtures. Olivier Giroud, who went four games in all competitions without scoring prior to his brace versus the Saints at the weekend, would certainly appreciate some help up front.

Cazorla and Ozil would also be grateful as they would have a meaningful passing option to look for besides Giroud, with Walcott constantly looking to dart in behind the defence from the right side. That said, young Marseille left-back Benjamin Mendy would have to beware of that threatening combination. Rosicky, on the other hand, would just be someone the duo would merely exchange harmless passes with in the middle as they probe for an opening in the French side’s defence.

So, Wenger’s decision is pretty simple: Theo Walcott must start over Rosicky. He is short on fitness at the moment, meaning that he wouldn’t last the 90 minutes, but he could cause more than a few problems for Elie Baup’s men before he is eventually subbed.