Arsene Wenger’s options: What is Arsenal’s best midfield combination?

Arsene Wenger finds himself in the unfamiliar situation of having too many top-class players to squeeze into his midfield at the moment. The issue hasn’t quite yet given him the headache it might given the raft of injuries that’s rattled the Emirates this season, but when the treatment table has done it’s job, Wenger will certainly have his hands full balancing the playing time of his legion of midfielders.

Mezut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta, Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lukas Podolski, Mathieu Flamini and Serge Gnabry have all featured for the Gunners already this season.

The list could seemingly go on and on.

Wenger seems to have settled on the 4-2-3-1 system with five flexible midfielders; two in a holding double-pivot and an interchangeable attacking trio in behind Olivier Giroud. Here are his best options for those roles according to their performances so far this season.

Central Midfield: Aaron Ramsey

Perhaps the biggest talking point here will be the absence of Jack Wilshere.

As we’ve seen already this year, Wilshere has a very similar game to that of Ramsey now, and to play both of them at the same time isn’t all that effective in either attack or defence; they are simply too similar. They need to be contrasted by either a holding figure in Mathieu Flamini or Mikel Arteta, and for me, the clear selection there is the more assured, if unspectacular, Arteta.

This season, there has been no better player for the Gunners than Ramsey. His determination and aggression at both ends of the pitch making him a force to behold. The 22-year-old has netted five goals and four assists, and has a Total Performance Score more than double any other Arsenal midfielder so far this year.

Central Midfield: Mikel Arteta

Back from injury, Arteta is one of the best natural passers in world football and provides a great calming influence in the Gunners’ midfield. Last season, the 31-year-old finished with Squawka’s highest Total Possession Score and completed more passes than any other player. In a possession-focused outfit like Arsenal’s, such a role is crucial.

Left-Attacking Midfield: Santi Cazorla

Known more as a central playmaker, Cazorla showed at Malaga that he is more than capable of succeeding out wide, and the inclusion of him at left-wing would give Arsenal a great threat out-wide as well as through the middle. The Spaniard has wonderful close ball control—having completed eight of his 13 attempted take-ons so far this year—and having finished last season as the Premier League’s highest rated player, is almost undroppable at his peak.

Centre-Attacking Midfield: Mesut Ozil

The catalyst for Arsenal’s great start to the Premier League campaign, Ozil has certainly had an impact since joining Arsenal and is an automatic starter in this team. He already leads the team in goal-scoring chances created with 19, and has converted a quarter of his total goal-scoring chances as well. If he can continue to develop his fledgling combination with Olivier Giroud and Cazorla, Arsenal’s creative responsiblity will certainly be in good hands throughout the course of the season.

Right-Attacking Midfield: Theo Walcott

Perhaps a contentious selection given that it keeps the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lukas Podolski on the bench, but you simply cannot keep Walcott out of this team. His pace and finishing ability make him a formidable man to have playing outside of Ozil, who as you’ll remember, developed a pretty good relationship with a certain Portuguese winger at Real Madrid. There’s no saying that Walcott will get to those dizzy heights, but having led the team in Premier League goals last year with an impressive conversion rate, Wenger would be a brave man indeed to leave the England international out of his starting line-up.

Walcott also offers Arsenal a different kind of attacking threat, one which they missed sorely in their recent home defeat to Borussia Dortmund. The England international’s ability to get in behind with his pace frightens managers and defenders from pressing the Gunners high up the pitch. Dortmund’s pressing tactics on that night may have been exposed, or even abandoned altogether by Jurgen Klopp, had Walcott been on the pitch.

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