Arsenal Vs Southampton: Endless Opportunities Abound

Arsenal travel to Southampton on Saturday in the FA Cup fourth round. The match provides Arsene Wenger with endless opportunities with many players.

Arsene Wenger has often looked to utilise the domestic cups to benefit to his team in more ways than merely winning them. With the ever-increasing number of games, the physical demands of a long and arduous season and the challenges that the injury issues that Arsenal annually suffer from, being able to diminish some competitions in priority of others is a necessity.

The League Cup has long been such a competition in which the top clubs have looked to rest their best players in favour of keeping them fresh for the more important games later in the season. Now, the FA Cup is being undermined – rightly or wrongly, this is a debate that is not for this article – and with a trip to Southampton upcoming, Wenger has endless opportunities to explore within his squad.

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Perhaps most significantly, Danny Welbeck is perhaps in line for his first start since his return from yet another long-term injury layoff. After suffering a horrific knee injury in May, Welbeck has only enjoyed late-game cameos as he looks to re-find his match sharpness, a task that is dependent upon little more than regular playing time. Saturday could well be his first start since returning.

There are more opportunities for Wenger beyond the celebrated return of Welbeck, though. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has struggled to break into the first team on a regular basis, failing to replicate any semblance of consistency in his performances thus far this year. It is likely that the winger will start against Southampton and a solid display could well ignite a run of promising form as the season comes to a climax in the coming months.

Moreover, Kieran Gibbs has recently returned from injury after a month on the sidelines. His reintroduction will give Wenger both the chance to give Gibbs some game time and Nacho Monreal with some much-needed rest. The growing competition between the two had stalled over the festive period but perhaps the FA Cup could be the instigator of another inner-squad rivalry.

Finally, there are a plethora of youth options that Wenger may look to blood in the first time. Ainsley Maitland-Niles started against Preston North End in the third round of the cup with mixed success and Rob Holding was ever-present in the EFL Cup in the first few months of the season, impressing in such a senior role. The two may be hoping for more first-team opportunities on Saturday.

Next: Arsenal Vs Southampton: Predicted Starting XI

Ultimately, Wenger has many decisions to make before kickoff. His team selection will be very interesting as he looks to tread the fine line of blending youth, experience and the reintroduction of formerly injured players, all the while, trying to see past a tricky Southampton side. The opportunities are endless.