Predicting Arsenal’s Starting XI For FA Community Shield Against Chelsea

Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny

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The age-old duo will start the season as partners yet again. What once was the best center back duo in the Premier League, however, is starting to dwindle as Per Mertesacker gets older and slower. It is still a winning combination, though, with Koscielny’s aggression and ability to read play and Mertesacker’s ability to sit back and clean up the scraps.

Gabriel Paulista is going to take Mertesacker’s spot this year, it is just a matter of time. He looked great in preseason as his duels were on point and well timed. Combining him with Koscielny will result in a very aggressive center back pairing that could lead to problems but given time, they will be able to iron those problems out.

Per Mertesacker will look to return to his best form to maintain his grasp of the spot that has been his for a handful of years and this will be his first real chance to do so.

Next: Defensive Mids