Arsenal’s AOL strikeforce have only been given limited opportunities to form a partnership this season and the contract predicaments of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez mean Alexandre Lacazatte should probably enjoy the supply line he is currently enjoying while he can.
In the three-and-a-half games the trio have started together Arsenal have amassed 10 goals and looked a vastly different proposition to the side which was treading water at the start of the season.
Lacazatte’s groin injury, which is certain to keep him out of Saturday’s heavyweight clash against Manchester United, according to Arsene Wenger, could not have been more poorly timed.
Arsenal added four more goals to their club record signing’s opener against Huddersfield after he was withdrawn at the break on Wednesday, Olivier Giroud enhancing his reputation as a super-sub with a brace, and Wenger now faces a difficult decision in terms of how best to go about replacing Lacazette at the weekend.
Here’s how we think Arsenal should go about lining up…
Defence
Having chopped and changed on a weekly basis at the start of the season, Wenger has now firmly settled on a back three comprising of Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi and Nacho Monreal, flanked by wing-backs Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac.
That unit has been, along with goalkeeper Petr Cech, responsible for three consecutive clean sheets against Tottenham, Burnley and Huddersfield but they are likely to be in for a far sterner examination of their credentials against a United attack which blew Watford away in midweek.
With the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba and potentially Zlatan Ibrahimovic to deal with, Wenger might be tempted to consider a place for Per Mertesacker, although the former Everton striker has previously singled out Koscielny as the toughest opponent he has ever faced in the Premier League.
Midfield
There remains a clamour among a large section of the Arsenal fanbase for Wenger to give Jack Wilshere a chance to stake a claim for a place in his Premier League line-up but space in Arsenal’s midfield engine room is at a premium.
The England international has impressed sporadically in the Europa League and Carabao Cup but has been restricted to late cameos in the league. Wilshere played a part with is drive and energy in the 1-0 win over Burnley but was given only 17 minutes against Huddersfield in a game which was already won by the time of his introduction.
Only an injury or signs of major fatigue are likely to prompt Wenger into breaking up the blossoming partnership between Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey.
The Wales international, in particular, is enjoying a sensational burst of form, thriving in a more attacking role. He registered two more assists against Huddersfield and his first time pass in the build-up to Alexis Sanchez’s goal epitomised his current levels of confidence.
Attack
Had Lacazette not succumbed to injury, Wenger would no doubt have selected an unchanged line-up for only the second time this season.
With two goals and denied a hat-trick only by the width of a post, Giroud could not have done more to enhance his chances of starting a Premier League game for the first time since May.
Wenger must, however, resist the temptation to reward Giroud for his second half display against Huddersfield and persist with the sort of tactics that have yielded convincing victories in each of Manchester United’s last two visits to the Emirates Stadium.
Back in October 2015, a United midfield which included Wayne Rooney, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Michael Carrick were steamrollered by an Arsenal side for whom Theo Walcott set a surprisingly frantic tone, hustling and harrying from a central striking position.
Walcott has been so off the pace recently it would be unthinkable for Wenger to turn to Arsenal’s forgotten man and expect him to produce a repeat performance, but in Danny Welbeck the Frenchman has the ideal alternative.
Welbeck, who has scored twice against his former club since moving to north London in 2014, including in last season’s 2-0 win, is perhaps one of the best exponents of defending from the front, with his display in the FA Cup final win against Chelsea, during which he tortured David Luiz and Gary Cahill, providing the perfect blueprint.
Wenger could also look to move Sanchez into a more central position, but that tactic backfired against Manchester City last month and with the Chile international having rediscovered his form from his customary wide left position, the Arsenal boss would be well advised to leave his main man where he is for now.
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