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Pepe starts, no Laca: The Arsenal 4-2-3-1 line-up Freddie should pick vs West Ham

By on December 8, 2019

nicolas pepe arsenal

Arsenal desperately need to get out of our current crisis and back to winning ways with a win over West Ham at the London Stadium on Monday night. Here is the line-up I’d like Freddie Ljungberg to select…

Holding returns

Our defence is woeful and it’s about time Arsenal cut their loses with David Luiz as he’s been a dreadful signing. Sokratis’ decline in form this season has been dramatic and Shkodran Mustafi is a walking disaster so I’d love to see Freddie give our younger English lads a chance.

Rob Holding has been struggling with a knee injury in recent weeks but he’s been in training last week and if fit, he has to start against West Ham. Calum Chambers has been one of our better defensive performers this season when deployed at right-back but his best position is in the middle of defence so let’s give him a chance to form a partnership with Holding.

Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney are still trying to get back to their best form since their injuries but they are still easily our best full-backs so I hope we see both of them starting at the London Stadium tomorrow night.

4-2-3-1

Freddie has deployed a 4-3-3 in his first two games but it hasn’t worked. The balance of the side is all wrong and it’s time we revert back to a 4-2-3-1 and play players in their best positions.

Granit Xhaka has been back in the side lately but I still feel he’s a severely limited player and his deficiencies far outweigh what he brings to the team. I’d like to see Arsenal go with Lucas Torreira in the middle of the park and instruct him to sit in front of the defence and protect the back four.

Torreira can’t play in the holding role on his own in a 4-3-3 as he needs a ball player alongside him and that’s why Matteo Guendouzi alongside the Uruguayan in a 4-2-3-1 would be far better for Arsenal. Dani Ceballos is still injured, however, Joe Willock is another option but I’d drop him to the bench as he’s been poor for several weeks.

Drop Lacazette

The time has come to admit defeat and realise Arsenal can’t squeeze Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in to the same starting eleven. Auba is totally wasted on the wing and he’s by far our biggest goal threat so as much as I love Laca, Freddie needs to be bold and drop him so Aubameyang can lead the line up front.

Mesut Ozil is also being wasted out wide as he’s far more dangerous playing in the No.10 when everything goes through him. Freddie seems to be following Emery’s path of trying to play everything out wide but Arsenal can hurt teams by playing off Ozil in the middle where he can play those killer passes to the wide men/strikers.

Nicolas Pepe would be the biggest beneficiary of Arsenal playing a 4-2-3-1 with Ozil in the middle and it’s time our big money signing is restored to the right wing. He made a big difference when he came on against Brighton and we need that natural width back in the team.

On the opposite flank, Bukayo Saka has a strong shout to start but I think Gabriel Martinelli deserves a run in the side. This eleven is far more balanced and I think this is how Ljungberg should be lining-up at West Ham and beyond:

football formations