Arsenal have found some consistent form at last, winning every game in January bar their 2-0 defeat at Southampton on New Year’s Day.
Their improved form has seen them installed as the new favourites to retain the FA Cup whilst Southampton’s home defeat to Swansea City at the weekend means they now sit just out of the top four on goal difference alone.
Arsene Wenger even did the unthinkable and actually signed a player the club were in need of during the January transfer window, securing the £11 million signing of Villarreal defender Gabriel Paulista.
Whilst a top class defensive midfielder would not have gone amiss, the Gunners currently look in the best shape they have done all season, with Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud back fit and firing following injuries in the first part of the season.
There is no question the Gunners boast one of the best attacks in the division but who exactly are Arsenal’s best front three at the moment?
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Click on Arsene Wenger to reveal the five selections for the Arsenal boss to ponder.
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Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck
With everyone fit and firing, you would imagine Arsene Wenger’s first choice front three would consist of Danny Welbeck, Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud.
Welbeck has been a moderate success since his £16 million summer signing from Manchester United and offers that pace and work rate either down the middle or on either flank. Giroud not only offers a goalscoring threat but vision and technique when it comes to providing assists whilst Alexis Sanchez is the man capable of producing moments of magic when required.
All in all, this front three offers balance and a bit of everything going forward as well as all players having the ability to interchange and link up with one another.
Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez
Having spent 12 months sidelined through injury, Theo Walcott is slowly starting to show the sort of form he was producing prior to that injury against Spurs in January 2014.
Walcott was on target in the 5-0 thrashing of Aston Villa at the weekend and also hit the target in the 2-3 win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup prior to that.
He perhaps offers more pace and is more clinical than Danny Welbeck when at his peak but the former Manchester United man offers that work rate and willingness to track back.
You feel those two may not only be fighting for the same spot at Arsenal but also in the England side once Walcott returns to full fitness.
Danny Welbeck, Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott
There is no question Alexis Sanchez has been the star of Arsenal’s season and he will surely start every game in which he is able to do so.
Olivier Giroud has that spot nailed down as a central striker but should injury hit the Frenchman once more, Sanchez has shown he is more than capable of playing that central role. Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott either side of him would mean you would struggle to find a front three with more pace in the Premier League.
What is also attractive about this option is that all three have a desire to play down the centre as well as on either flank meaning they are capable of interchanging positions throughout the game.
Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez
The Spaniard has been in superb form of late and notably put in a man of the match performance during the Gunners’ recent 0-2 victory against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
The Gunners produced a performance of real defensive solidity that day, with Cazorla playing in a slightly more advanced position behind the likes of Giroud and Alexis Sanchez.
Cazorla’s ability to play centrally as well as out wide (he is perhaps the Premier League’s best player in terms of using both feet!), means he is a wonderful option for Wenger in games that may well require more patience.
Alexis Sanchez, Chuba Akpom, Theo Walcott
With a home clash against Middlesbrough in the fifth round of the FA Cup this month ahead of a return to the Champions League, the likes of Chuba Akpom may get given an opportunity to show what they can do.
Akpom has been linked with a move away from the club when his contract expires in the summer but is expected to be signing new terms imminently following two impressive cameo appearances from the bench against Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa.
The fact Arsenal look like they’ll be holding onto Akpom suggests he may well be given a chance to show what he can do in the coming weeks, whilst Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott represent experienced players who could bring the best out of him in a front three.
