Arsenal's ideal starting XI for the 2014-15 season

Arsene Wenger will be looking to mount a serious challenge for the title this seasonAs the football season starts to gather pace and the dust starts to settle on the summer transfer window, we are in a firm position to take a stock of how clubs have been benefitted by their dealings this summer and how the teams can line up with all the changes that they have made to their line-ups.Here we are focusing on last year’s FA Cup champions Arsenal. So let’s take a look at what can be described as their ideal starting XI this season in a 4-3-3 formation.

#1 Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczesny

The goalkeeper’s spot, even with the arrival of David Ospina, is still pretty much Szczesny’s to lose. Having established himself as the number 1 for Arsenal despite being junior to Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone, Szczesny has pretty much maintained his consistency that has prompted both of them to move elsewhere (Swansea city and Sunderland respectively) for first team opportunities.

The Pole has declared his intentions to continue in the same vein, stating that he is more than up for the competition that the Colombian shot stopper Ospina will provide. And he knows that complacency would cost him his position due to the qualities his competitor possesses, which were seen in full view at the World Cup this summer where Ospina helped Colombia reach the quarter-finals.

All said and done, the goalkeeping situation is pretty much settled for Arsenal. With Szczesny guarding the goal in the Premier league and the Champions League, Ospina will stake his claim to the position in the FA Cup and League Cup matches. But as we know in football, the goalkeeper’s position is one that is very precarious and can be snatched away due to one shocking performance or injury (case in point - Iker Casillas).

#2 Right Back: Mathieu Debuchy

The established French international was signed this summer to slot into the right back position vacated by his countryman Bacary Sagna, who left for Manchester City. Debuchy was a key cog in Alan Pardew’s French Revolution on Tyneside. Already setted in the English game, Debuchy was a constant attacking threat for Newcastle in the 18 months he spent in the North-east of England and all Gooners can no doubt expect more of the same this season.

While his passing still may not be at his predecessor’s level, Debuchy is still a handful in both the defensive as well as attacking thirds of the pitch.

As far as the competition for the right back spot goes, Debuchy at 29, is surely the first choice, particularly with Carl Jenkinson sent out on loan to West ham, Calum Chambers, 19, given the role of filling at right back, centre back and possibly defensive midfield and Hector Bellerin, 19 as well, too young to make the spot his own.

#3 Centre Back: Per Mertesacker

Mertesacker, having shown his leadership both on and off the pitch, is now the official vice-captain of the club. The Big Friendly German is no doubt the first name on the team sheet for Arsene Wenger on most occasions. He was the player with most appearances last season for Arsenal. And the popular belief is that the trend will continue this season particularly due to the fact that Mertesacker and Koscielny are the only two senior centre backs alongside the young Callum Chambers at the club this season.

What may be seen as a silver lining by the Arsenal fans would be the fact that the big German has now bid adieu to his international career with Germany after a successful World Cup campaign, just so that he can concentrate on club football with Arsenal.

Mertesacker, not the fastest on the pitch, has exceptional understanding of the game and great leadership qualities to compensate for his speed. A calm influence in the backline, he is the perfect foil to Laurent Koscielny and his hands on approach.

#4 Centre Back: Laurent Koscielny

The French defender has been able to develop a great partnership with the big German at the heart of Arsenal’s defense ever since he displaced previous captain Thomas Vermaelen in the first team, forcing the Belgian to leave London for first team football. There are no doubts that he would be an automatic selection for the role.

As mentioned earlier, with Thomas Vermaelen moving to Barcelona and no senior centre backs at Arsenal except Mertesacker and Koscielny, both have their work cut out this season, at least till the winter transfer window.

With the precocious talent of Chambers and Nacho Monreal- the “inverted centre back” providing cover for the centre back position, it is imperative that Koscielny remains fit and away from suspensions, particularly due to his record of procuring red cards and suspensions. Arsenal fans would be keeping their fingers crossed that the injury scares (Achilles tendon and head injury) that Koscielny received before the international break have been looked into and allayed.

#5 Left Back: Kieran Gibbs

The left back position has been quite a big issue for Arsenal for a long time. But things have changed with the arrival of Nacho Monreal and the development of Kieran Gibbs in the past couple of years. As Arsene Wenger envisages having two equally proficient players for each position in the squad, with respect to the left back position, this is truly the case.

But as last season did show, Gibbs and his susceptibility to sustain small knocks right through the season, Monreal has had to fill in for him time and again. But Monreal suffers from his own issues, namely, settling into the English game, which he looks to have overcome now and the physicality, which can be seen when he goes up against powerful opponents, like the time he was singled out by Lukaku last season at Goodison Park. In that regard, Gibbs is a better defender, knowing that at 25, he can still up his game a notch.

Though Gibbs may be favored, it is high time that he proves his critics wrong by going through a complete season unscathed. Perhaps Shad Forsythe, the new addition to the medical team may help him achieve that.

#6 Central Midfielder: Mikel Arteta

The new captain of Arsenal still has much to offer to the team even though he is now 32. At least that’s the narrative Arsenal fans must be going by, particularly with no addition to the deep lying midfield role this summer.

His metronomic passing has been much documented and no doubt it would have been a tough task to find someone of the same calibre but the failure/ deemed failure in the procurement of players this summer is something that fans will have to live with. No doubt, his age is surely an issue but the fact that his presence on the pitch helps the Gunners make a proper transition between defense and attack makes him a very important player for them.

Another point to be factored in would be the fact that Wenger sees Arteta as a deep lying playmaker and hardy has a liking for an out and out defensive midfielder. With Flamini’s lack of guile very clear, Wilshere looking to find some sustained form and Coquelin who has been forgotten after a disastrous loan spell in Freiberg only seen as an understudy, he surely gets the nod in this team.

#7 Central Midfielder: Aaron Ramsey

Arsenal’s Player of the Season last year, Aaron Ramsey would surely get a nod ahead of Jack Wilshere here. Having produced a great season despite missing three months through injury which coincided with Arsenal’s loss of form, this season is the real test for Ramsey, both in terms of contributing to the team’s cause as well as trying to complete a season without suffering an injury.

With his confidence and goal scoring touch right now, he provides the box to box abilities that Arsenal have been missing for quite some time. Ramsey has started in a similar vein as last season and would be hoping than he can better his performance this time round. Pretty much the undisputed choice for the box to box role in midfield, he has the knack of being at the right place at the right time both in attack and in defense and he puts in a shift to break up the opposition’s play, exemplifying great work rate.

With Jack Wilshere looking to prove himself and become a first team regular, the Arsenal fans can expect some stiff competition for this spot.

#8 Attacking Midfielder: Mesut Ozil

Though he had a good debut season, but he will definitely be expected to better it this time round. No doubt the price tag needs some justification in football these days, and Ozil still has some work to do in order to silence his detractors on that front. After a victorious World Cup this summer, Ozil was given a longer vacation, and partly due to his later incorporation into the Arsenal squad, he has been played on the left side of the midfield this season.

While this seems a temporary arrangement with Santi Cazorla playing in the centre and Ozil on the left, this would surely change as the season progresses. Moreover as was evident last season, Arsenal do not operate with a fixed number 10, due to the tendency of both Ozil and Cazorla to drift in and out of the central position so as to receive the ball.

With all the major additions in the attacking artillery of Arsenal, Ozil will be even more central to their game plan, which was made pretty evident earlier in the summer, as Wenger skipped the chance to sign Fabregas back from Barcelona.

#9 Left Forward: Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez is Arsenal’s biggest signing of the summer, and after some great performances in the World Cup for Chile, he has much hype to live up to. What he has shown till now has been quite good, particularly the fact that he can hold his own while battling with the opposition defenders, but also that he tracks back; something which attack minded players are usually very careless about.

The Chilean has certainly got the physicality and presence to succeed in the English game, but what really matters is the fact that he would surely need some time to gel with his new team and adjust to the environment, all of which has been pretty evident in his initial appearances.

Santi Cazorla looks like the other prime candidate for this position just because of his ambidexterity and ability to link play, but Alexis running at the defenders or latching on to through balls from midfield would be a far lethal option on the flanks or centre. Lukas Podolski and Joel Campbell too would be looking with interest as to how Sanchez fares.

#10 Right Forward: Theo Walcott

With the kind of goal scoring record that Walcott boasts of, it would be hard to look at other options to fill the right sided forward position. The speedy English international has been out of the game with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament for a long time and is expected to be back playing first team football in a month or so.

He was sorely missed last season and could prove to be a lethal outlet on the right side of attack and his tandem with Alexis and Ozil sure looks exciting on paper. Although he has been deployed on the wing, Walcott has played as an atypical wide forward. Though his wish of playing through the middle may not be fulfilled any time soon with Welbeck’s addition, he has been helped by Wenger’s tactic that has seen to it that Walcott gets his fair share of goal scoring opportunities.

One of the senior members now, the critical thing that remains to be seen is whether Walcott will step up to the plate once again after this injury layoff, particularly due to the fact that he has a long list of young/ fringe players (Chamberlain, Campbell, Podoski, Rosicky, Cazorla and Gnabry) snapping at his feet to get a first team berth.

#11 Striker: Olivier Giroud

Despite facing a long injury layoff and being unavailable for selection till early next year, the French striker will no doubt still feature in the ideal 11 that the Gunners have offer on any day. A handful for any defense when he is on top of his game, Giroud has settled in after some initial problems adapting to the playing style at the club. Wenger has been a great proponent of using target men in his teams, be it Nwankwo Kanu, Emmanuel Adebayor or Giroud.

The way Arsenal have been functioning for the past couple of years is pretty much based on utilizing Giroud’s strength and hold up play, which allows other attackers to come into the game. What Giroud lacks in pace he compensates for with his interplay and awareness. It does not come as any surprise that two of the best team goals scored by Arsenal last year (Wilshere vs Norwich and Rosicky vs Sunderland) had Giroud as the assist provider.

Granted that his position in the squad is no more a given with competition from Alexis Sanchez and the deadline day signing Danny Welbeck alongwith Yaya Sanogo, yet the qualities he offers to the team as a lone striker will be difficult for them to replicate. And it’s not just the fact that his stature kind of fits the mould of a lone striker. Giroud proved this last season by being the top scorer for the club and also finishing third on the assists list, behind Ozil and Ramsey, despite facing criticism from all over.