After the international break, Arsenal welcome a misfiring Southampton who appear to be struggling following the losses of Graziano Pelle, Saido Mane, Victor Wanyama and most importantly, Ronald Koeman.
Draws against Sunderland and Watford sandwich a poor display at Old Trafford for the Saints, who have only scored two goals this season. Tadic and Shane Long aren’t really getting into the games, while the full backs look shaky. However, recent record signing Boufal will bolster their attacking options.
Tactics wise, Puel has chosen to play a 4-3-1-2 with Tadic at the top of the diamond (for now) and oddly, winger Redmond partnering Long up front. Of course, this should change with the Boufal signing. Cedric and Targett also need to get used to playing without wingers, and provide witdth.
Arsenal are likely to lineup with a similar formation to the win against Watford, but with new boy Mustafi in ahead of Rob Holding and the possible return of Olivier Giroud. This means the exclusion of either Theo Walcott or Oxlade-Chamberlain, both of whom have shown form in the last few weeks.
There’s also the established routine of Xhaka pairing a central midfielder, likely Cazorla, for a home game against a non-top 4 side. His stellar performance last week has encouraged many.
One thing Arsene will need to be wary of is Southampton’s central three. While Davis is average, Romeu and especially new signing Hojbjerg have impressed as holding midfielders, and like last season, are sure to marshal Ozil tightly. It will also be interesting to see if Southampton revert to a 4-2-3-1 to accommodate both Tadic and Boufal.
However, this is an opportunity for Arsenal to carry on where they left off last game – as long as the midfield battle is won.
