UEFA Champions League: Arsenal face "testing" times

Will Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud start against Marseille?

On the positive end of things, Per Mertesacker has been declared fit and the game against Sunderland saw a run-out for Thomas Vermaelen, so he should be match fit too, if necessary. More importantly, the defence has good cover now, and the partnership between Koscielny and Mertesacker can be rekindled, along with Sagna being reinstated at right-back, which is the best combination for the team, in terms of balance as well as form.

All Arsenal fans had a heart-in-mouth moment when Olivier Giroud started limping towards the end of the Sunderland game, considering he was the only recognised central striker in the squad (this, of course, not counting the likes of Park and Bendtner, who frankly, at least for this match, would not be of much use). And then, everybody heaved a huge sigh of relief when Giroud took to Twitter to assure everyone that he was fine. However, all is not yet well as Wenger announced that he will have a late fitness test to determine his availability.

In the event Giroud becomes unavailable for Wednesday’s game, it throws a spanner in the works for Arsenal. There is the option to use Park, but it is highly unlikely that Arsene Wenger would turn to a player whom he hasn’t trusted since he signed, especially for such an important game as this.

Therefore, the only other option that Wenger has is to play Walcott in the middle, an opportunity Theo would relish. But that leaves a problem on the wings for Arsenal. If we assume Ozil does not play on Wednesday, then the possible midfield trio would be Wilshere, Flamini and Ramsey, who pick themselves automatically.

While Miyaichi can play on the left wing, it would be a big gamble that Wenger will be forced to take, considering that he has no other viable options. And that still leaves a problem on the right wing, with no obvious cover. Of course, if Ozil is declared fit to play, then Ramsey can be pushed to the right, even though it’s not his best position. But if Ozil is not going to take part, then perhaps Frimpong can be started in the defensive midfield, allowing Ramsey to still play on the right.

Of course, the other option is to play either Chuba Akpom or Serge Gnabry as the central striker and let Walcott and Miyaichi play on the wings. But the chances of that happening are next to none. This, after all, is not the Mickey Mouse cup!

So, for everyone’s sanity to be maintained, one can only hope that Giroud passes the fitness test, allowing him to retain his position in the team, and letting Walcott stay on the right. I wouldn’t be overly concerned with Ozil not starting, as he would be needed for the complete season and there is no need to take any risks.

While the permutations and combinations may be too much for us to speculate, it is safe to say that the gaffer revels in it! All eyes will be on the team sheet tomorrow, with many fingers crossed throughout the game.