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The midfield has been a problem area for Arsenal for some time now, while fans are still waiting for a replacement for Patrick Vieira.
Former Arsenal striker Paul Merson even insisted that Arsenal should have signed Fabian Delph in midfield. In Merson's opinion the former Manchester City player was "better than the midfield three that played against Tottenham".
But that might be going too far as Granit Xhaka, Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira compare very favourably with Delph, statistically. Besides, the three Arsenal players have age on their side as well.
Even so, considering that Emery has played a variety of midfield combinations in the last three games, it's likely that he still does not still know his best midfield. The loan signing of Dani Ceballos and the emergence of Joe Willock has added more uncertainty to Emery's midfield selections.
Here's a look at midfield combinations that would be ideal against different opposition:
#1 Guendouzi, Torreira & Ceballos
Much was made about Guendouzi's performance in the North London derby, and rightly so. Little was known about the Frenchman when he traded Lorient in Ligue 2 for a move to North London. However, he has been a consistent performer for Unai Emery and has graduated into a regular and a fan favourite.
At 20 years of age, Matteo Guendouzi has potential to become a world class midfielder and a starter for Arsenal and France for many years. He is so assured that he looks the more experienced one when paired with Xhaka in midfield.
Lucas Torreira became a fan favourite in a very short time at Arsenal. His tenacity and aggressiveness brought a welcome addition to Arsenal's midfield last season. His form tailed off a little towards the end of last season but that can only be expected of a player in his first season in the most hectic league in the world. He is still very young at 23 years old and can improve his passing into the final third.
Dani Ceballos has already sprayed some of his Spanish flair on this Arsenal side. The on-loan Real Madrid midfielder reminded the Emirates faithful of their other Spanish stars in Cesc Fabregas and Santi Cazorla. Fans would be hoping he has no future at the Bernabeu and would choose to extend his stay in North London,
Emery can have Torreira as the deep lying midfielder and Guendouzi and Ceballos either side of him. He could also ask Guendouzi and Torreira to play in a double pivot defensive midfield role with Ceballos acting as the attacking midfielder in the No 10 role.
This trio eliminates the careless mistakes of Granit Xhaka, the relative inexperience of Joe Willock and Ozil's unwillingness to do a job off the ball. Against top opposition in the Premier League and the Europa league, this midfield combination will provide energy, grit and quality on the ball.
#2 Torreira, Ceballos and Ozil
Mesut Ozil has been a divisive figure since his move from Real Madrid to Arsenal. Unai Emery appears to share the doubts over the now-retired German international. This has seen him drop in and out of the Arsenal side in Emery's first year at Emirates.
A security issue has seen Ozil miss out on the start to the season. However, he is back and available for selection. The reason why Ozil is such an enigma is that his quality on the ball is undisputed. However, doubts remain about his off the ball contributions. With the firepower ahead of Ozil, it is not impossible for the German to replicate his 19-assist haul from the 2015/2016 season.
Emery has clearly stated that Dani Ceballos is capable of playing further forward as a 10 or a little deeper as an 8. Unai Emery speaking about Ceballos after Arsenal's win over Burnley said "With him, it’s about using his quality in the best position. I spoke with him before he came here, it’s to play as an 8 and as a 10".
In this formation, Ozil plays as the attacking midfielder with Dani Ceballos and Lucas Torreira behind him. This midfield three provide a lot of creativity and style in attack. However, they may be suspect defensively. Against quality opposition, especially the Premier League's top six, this midfield three could be exploited devastatingly.
Ozil's inability to defend effectively will see Torreira and Ceballos exposed and leave them short of numbers in midfield. Ceballos has started brightly in an Arsenal shirt but the rigours of tracking attackers and trying to cover up for Ozil may be too much for the Spanish international.
This formation would be better suited in playing at home or against sides who will sit very deep against Arsenal.
#3. Xhaka, Torreira and Ozil
Granit Xhaka might be error-prone and capable of moments of madness but he is still Arsenal's captain and his ability on the ball is undisputed. His qualities range from cross-field passes to set-piece delivery and long-range shooting. If the Swiss international can eliminate his moments of lack of concentration that lead to poor decisions, he can evolve into one of the top central midfielders in the game.
Xhaka's long range passing ability can be put to good use in releasing the pace of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe.
A midfield trio of Ozil, Torreira and Xhaka will prove dominant over many oppositions in the Europa league and could the first alternative in the Premier League because of a balance in attack and defence. Xhaka brings his passing from deep, Ozil brings creativity while Torreira brings his tenacity.
#4 Willock, Guendouzi and Ceballos
Arsenal are competing in three domestic competitions and the Europa league. The importance of rotating players in different competitions and keeping all the players match ready at all times cannot be emphasized enough.
In Joe Willock, Arsenal have a hungry young player who can operate as a 10 or as an 8. He brings energy, freshness, dynamism and tenacity to the Arsenal midfield. His passing and dribbling are also excellent and can only improve.
In this formation, Guendouzi partners the Arsenal academy graduate and Ceballos plays further forward as a 10. Guendouzi can also play as the holding midfielder in this formation with Ceballos on the left of the midfield three and Willock on the right. This midfield can be played in the easier games of the Europa league, FA cup and Carabao Cup.
This season is a very important for Arsenal. Another year without the Champions League will affect Arsenal's finances. In order to achieve this goal, Unai Emery must get his selection spot on more often than not especially in midfield.
