Having won their first Premier League game of the season away at a difficult venue in Crystal Palace on Sunday, our Arsenal fans’ mood in the Football Transfer Tavern has improved somewhat but they’re still not entirely happy.
With Francis Coquelin having been lucky not to be sent off in the second half at Selhurst Park, Arsene Wenger eventually substituted the young Frenchman to make way for Mikel Arteta and although the Spaniard did an ok job of shoring up the Gunners’ back line, this is an area Arsenal really need to strengthen in.
With Coquelin playing in an area of the pitch where tackles are made and subsequent injuries can be picked up, not to mention yellow cards, Arsenal fans would love Wenger to go out and sign quality cover such as Sevilla’s Grzegorz Krychowiak to ensure the likes of Arteta and Mathieu Flamini don’t need to be relied upon so heavily.
Aside from the Gunners’ defensive midfield dilemma, Arsenal have of course been on the hunt for new striking reinforcements all summer and Karim Benzema is the man every Gooner would love at the club right now.
With Rafael Benitez having insisted that he wants to keep the French international at Real Madrid this summer, Arsenal’s hopes of signing him look bleak now but as we remember back to Mesut Ozil’s situation in 2013, nobody thought the German was available only for him to rock up at Emirates Stadium on deadline day.
With this hope in mind, we’ve devised a dream Arsenal starting eleven with Benzema metaphorically included.
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Click on the image below to reveal the dream Arsenal XI including Karim Benzema
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Petr Cech
With his nightmare Arsenal debut against West Ham United now put behind him, Petr Cech was more comfortable against Crystal Palace but not entirely.
Clearly a case of the long-serving former Chelsea goalkeeper getting used to his new team-mates and a new system, Cech has proved he’s a class act and surely it’s only a matter of time before he hits top form.
The capture of the Czech Republic international will immediately improve Arsenal’s defensive prowess with the experienced goalkeeper more than likely to eventually stamp out the costly errors that have blighted Arsene Wenger’s side in recent seasons.
The fact that the move is likely to have wound up Jose Mourinho inside is also a huge positive about the deal and could signal a shifting in power but time will tell on this one.
Hector Bellerin
Hector Bellerin enjoyed a fantastic breakthrough campaign last term with the Spanish youngster becoming a firm fixture in Wenger’s plans towards the end of the season.
It actually started rather badly for the Spaniard after he was thrust into Champions League action to make his debut away at Borussia Dortmund but since that troubled night, Bellerin has prospered whenever utilised.
Bellerin has benefited from the injury lay off Mathieu Debuchy suffered and simply hasn’t looked back, giving Arsenal deadly accuracy in his crossing abilities.
Bellerin represents the modern breed of full back in every sense and has given Arsenal another dimension in their attacks out of defence.
Gabriel Paulista
Taking over from Per Mertesacker in this Arsenal dream eleven, 2015/16 is expected to be a big season for Gabriel Paulista.
Arsenal fans haven’t seen so much of their Brazilian signing so far who was used sparingly behind Mertesacker last season but when called upon.
Arsenal have craved a rugged, mean looking defender in recent seasons and Gabriel could be that man after he earned a reputation for his decisive tackling in his time at Villarreal.
Seemingly not scared to lunge in when he believes a tackle can be made, Arsenal fans would rather this type of defender was starting than Per Mertesacker who despite his leadership abilities, is sometimes found out too easily when facing speedy opponents.
Laurent Koscielny
Arsenal fans winced when they saw Laurent Koscielny linked with a summer switch to Real Madrid earlier in the transfer window and that’s how much they rate their French international centre back.
Arguably one of Arsene Wenger’s best finds of all-time in the Arsenal hot seat, Koscielny was plucked from relative obscurity and is now one of the best centre backs in the Premier League.
Bringing the best out of Per Mertesacker as well, this is the mark of Koscielny’s worth in this team with his speedy recovery runs and calm assurance making him stand out as Arsenal’s most important defender.
Nacho Monreal
Nacho Monreal enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in form last season.
Towards the earlier part of last season whereby he was played as an emergency centre back following Arsene Wenger’s decision to not replace Thomas Vermaelen, Monreal was a scapegoat for Arsenal fans, blamed by most Gooners for defensive error after error.
To be fair to the Spaniard, he had never played at centre back before but to his credit however, when Monreal was reinstated in his usual position of left back, he didn’t look back and is now rated as better than academy graduate Kieran Gibbs.
Francis Coquelin
If Nacho Monreal’s turnaround was impressive, what about Francis Coquelin’s?
He definitely fit the deadwood category when he was loaned out to Charlton Athletic midway through the season but after an injury crisis struck the Gunners, he was recalled and well, the rest is history they say.
After a few impressive performances back in the Arsenal first team in a kind of reprieve, Coquelin was praised but many Gooners were cautious claiming it was only a flash in the pan.
However, the Frenchman maintained excellent form all the way until the end of the campaign which ultimately ended up in FA Cup triumph for Arsenal.
Arsenal fans would just like Wenger to complement Coquelin’s talents by signing some top quality back-up such as Real Madrid’s Lucas Silva or Sevilla’s Grzegorz Krychowiak.
Santi Cazorla
Everybody knows that Santi Cazorla is one of Arsenal’s most important players but he took his form to a new level in the 2014/15 season.
Manchester City away stands out as arguably Cazorla’s best performance in an Arsenal shirt with the Spanish international relishing his new found role alongside Francis Coquelin where he can dictate the play from deep.
We saw in the weekend game with Crystal Palace that Cazorla won the man of the match prize from the position and the Spaniard is a player who can dictate the pace of a game.
Aaron Ramsey
Taking up a right midfield berth in our dream XI, Arsenal fans don’t like Aaron Ramsey playing here but when everybody is fit, where else is he going to slot in?
Arsene Wenger always tries to accommodate the Welshman in his starting eleven and although he doesn’t have the pace of an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the role, not every game he has played here has been a disaster.
One of Arsenal’s most important players, Ramsey eached uncharted status after scoring the goal against Hull City in the 2013/14 FA Cup Final that effectively ended all those years of hurt and anguish.
He is a box-to-box player in every regard but with the Coquelin and Cazorla combo looking excellent towards the second half of last season, it seems Ramsey may have to get used to playing here for a little longer yet.
Mesut Ozil
Taking a little while to get going, the evidence in the second part of the last campaign was that Mesut Ozil is now part way along an upward curve in his Arsenal career.
Managing to nail down a position in his favoured number 10 role in Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven, we saw the best of the German international again whose assisting abilities continue to make everybody stand up and take note.
Performing fantastically in the Gunners’ 4-1 demolition of Liverpool in particular, Ozil was at his very best that day with more and more Gooners starting to get used to his playing style.
He continued his improved form against Crystal Palace at the weekend where he was described by many Arsenal fans as being excellent on the day in South London.
Alexis Sanchez
Extremely unlucky to have been beaten to the PFA Player of the Year prize by the equally outstanding Eden Hazard last season, Alexis Sanchez enjoyed a scintillating first season in English football, striking 25 goals in all competitions.
The best thing about the Chilean is that he boasts all of the talent in the world but he is still willing to match those abilities with sheer hard work and determination.
We saw evidence of this on Sunday where despite not being fully fit and only having got back up to full speed in training following the Copa America, a half fit Sanchez still had the desire to jump for the ball that ended up being a Damien Delaney own goal and winning strike for the Gunners at Crystal Palace.
Boasting seemingly everything in his locker, Alexis is often parallel with the Emirates Stadium turf, such is his speed when he changes direction while losing opposition defenders for fun.
Karim Benzema
While Olivier Giroud enjoyed a good season in front of goal last term, it is a striker of the great category that Arsenal fans truly crave.
Giroud is a good player who combines effective hold-up play with a good goal haul but the French international is simply a victim of the fact that Gooners have been used to the mercurial talents of the likes of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp in years gone by.
One man who all Arsenal fans would love to see at the club next season is Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema who has been in Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow at the Bernabeu ever since joining.
That said, everything points towards the Frenchman being happy at the Bernabeu right now and with Rafael Benitez having insisted that he’s part of his plans this season, it appears Arsenal might need to source an alternative but they’re still praying for his signature by the bar nonetheless.
