Arsenal vs Chelsea: Pre-match catastrophe so typical Arsenal

In Arsenal’s most crucial game of the season, they face a massive defense problem. Out of all the teams in the world, of course it’s this one

Arsenal’s most important game of the season is nearly upon us. The FA Cup final sees us face the Premier League Champions, Chelsea. The last two times in which Arsenal won the Cup, they went against much weaker opposition in Hull City (now relegated) and Aston Villa (struggling in the EFL Championship). With the problems Arsenal face, especially at defense, this story wouldn’t have been as huge if we were facing Hull or Aston Villa.

However, we are going to face the best team in England. A team that boasts a ravenous attack composed of big name players such as Eden Hazard and Diego Costa. With our defensive crisis, Wenger has a massive decision to make. Does he keep the 3-4-3, which has been very successful, or the 4-2-3-1, which started off good, but then seemed terrible.

We have problems at defense, but goalkeeper will have an area for concern as well. Petr Cech has been in superb form recently, but according to telegraph.co.uk, David Ospina is making a shock start for the Final.

This is certainly a disappointment for Cech who must’ve been excited to play against his former team in a huge match. Ospina must make the most out of this game, because he has been frustrated with not getting much playing time. He must also be impressive because with recent links to him moving to Fenerbache for £5 million, they want to see someone who can play big in clutch matches.

With the defensive crisis, what can Arsenal do?

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If they remain with a 3-4-3, the most obvious thing would be to play a 3-man back of Holding, Mertesacker, and Monreal. With Mustafi not yet cleared to play, those are the three best options. But Mertesacker hasn’t started a single match this season, and we already know he has little to no pace which means he could get absolutely exposed against the Chelsea attack.

Another possible way to ensure Mertesacker wouldn’t start would be to start Bellerin as a centerback. Oxlade-Chamberlain looks fit to play and if we keep the 3-4-3, Chambo comes back as a right wingback, which could allow for Bellerin to play in the back three. This may not sound great, but it could work. Debuchy could also play as a centerback but he also has major rust so he wouldn’t be the best bet.

Another option could be to play Francis Coquelin as a centerback, because he possesses the physicality and pace to do so. However, his lack of experience at the position against a major team could be a huge risk.

Next: 5 Players To Watch Against Chelsea

With all of our problems, we can’t do anything but trust Wenger in his plans. Of course, out of all the teams in this world to suffer a crucial problem before their biggest game of the season, it’s our beloved Arsenal. Here’s to hope we can overcome our problems and come out with a major win, in what could be Wengers final game.