Arsenal: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Could Make Or Break Leroy Sane

Arsenal will want to have Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out there on the pitch, but putting him at wingback could explode or excel, particularly regarding Leroy Sane.

Arsene Wenger has some pretty crucial decisions to make as Arsenal head to Wembley to take on Manchester City in pursuit of the one trophy that isn’t deathly allergic to the Gunners. The most important thing, however, will be getting our best possible players out there.

Which means that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should be second on the team sheet after Alexis Sanchez.

The Ox was simply sublime against Middlesbrough and there are a lot of reasons why. First of all, he was given space. The Ox in space is a scary thing. It does not take him long to build up a head of steam, but once he does, good luck.

The big question we all want to know is will he start at wingback? He was by far the Gunner’s best player against Boro at his new position, but starting him in the same facet, in the same formation, against the dangerous Leroy Sane has such a high risk, high reward factor that Wenger will have to put on his gambling socks before making a decision.

The Ox can make or break Leroy Sane, as well as the game itself.

With three at the back, wingers are a big part of the opposition’s strategy, and few have speedier or more technically gifted wingers than City. Sane could, hypothetically, have free reign on his flank, but with the Ox there, things change.

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For starters, the Ox is faster than everyone. I’d wager he’s even faster than Hector Bellerin. That means that he could cause Sane a great degree of problems. However, the risk comes into play when you think about Oxlade-Chamberlain getting too far forward and letting Sane in behind him, with no one there to stop him but whoever happens to be in midfield and whoever happens to be the right sided center back.

That’s dicey. Hence the high risk.

But the reward is just as enticing as the risk is worrying. If the Ox can have himself a game over on the right hand side. If he can do the attacking and consistently threaten City’s left hand side, then Sane and the accompanying fullback, likely Gael Clichy, will be so caught up stopping the Ox that they won’t have many chances to do much attacking of their own.

Hence the high reward.

It all hinges on the Ox. Or, if Wenger isn’t a gambler, then the Ox may start at the base of the midfield in a 4-2-3-1 alongside Granit Xhaka. In which case he would still have a big role to play in slowing down City’s attack.

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The point is that the Ox needs this kind of responsibility to grow within the team. He looks like a player right up there on Alexis’s level when you let him and this is just another opportunity to do just that.