Arsenal are set to play their next Barclays Premier League fixture on Boxing Day and their opponents for the day are Ronald Koeman’s Southampton. The Saints currently sit 12th in the Premier League table and are without a win in their last seven league fixtures. The Gunners, by contrast, are in a fine run of form, having won all of their last four fixtures in all competitions. Going into Christmas, Leicester lead the Barclays Premier League table, but coming out of it, Arsene Wenger’s men will be looking to claim the top spot and a win against out-of-form Southampton could be the exact opportunity they are looking for.
The first player who the Gunners need to monitor is Graziano Pelle. The 30-year-old has been a fine player for the Saints over the last couple of seasons and is undoubtedly the club’s main striker. His main asset is his strength and willingness to get on the end of crosses and passes. He is more than prepared to use his strength to latch onto through balls and force defenders out-of-the-way. Therefore, he must be man marked to prevent him from muscling his way to an opportunity. If there is constantly an Arsenal player harassing him, then Pelle will find it very difficult to have a significant impact on the game.
The other player who Arsenal need to watch out for is Victor Wanyama. The former Celtic player is exactly the dominant midfield presence that the Gunners themselves have been looking for. Without Francis Coquelin in their ranks, the Gunners will not be able to cope with Wanyama physically, meaning that they will have to simply outmaneuver him. If they can get their quick passing going, then they can take him out of the game. Arsenal are one of the best counter-attacking sides in world football and so if they can break out with pace and release the ball quickly – as they are more than capable of doing – then they can run rings round Wanyama and continue as if he weren’t there.
In attack, the Gunners simply need to replicate their style from the last couple of games. Obviously, they will have more chances than they did against Manchester City, but still, making the most of them will be vital. Olivier Giroud is in a purple patch at the moment and so is likely to be crucial to any goals being scored. As such, it is essential that the creative Arsenal players get crosses and passes into him when he is close to goal with plenty of space. From there, at the moment, anybody would back him to score.
Mesut Ozil will also be of the utmost importance in this game. Southampton normally have a rigid and solid defence and so it will be up to the World Cup winner to unlock their defence and create the goals. He is only five assists away from equalling the Premier League record for a single season and no doubt he will be looking to add a few more assists to his tally this weekend.
Overall, the Gunners should be looking to win this game. They are in superb form going into it and Southampton’s poor form should help the Gunners to another result. Leicester are currently leading the table but the Gunners will and should be looking to take advantage of Southampton’s recent poor results to catch up to Claudio Ranieri’s side and claim the top spot.
