Arsenal vs Chelsea: Maintaining 3-4-3 the ultimate goal

Arsenal’s upcoming match up against Chelsea is ripe with stories, but the Gunners ability to retain the 3-4-3 is absolutely crucial to everything.

Arsenal will be hoping to achieve some form of glory to cap off a massively disappointing season and the FA Cup is a great place to do it. This isn’t Aston Villa or Hull City sitting opposite the Gunners, this is Premier League champions Chelsea, so don’t try to pull the “it’s only the FA Cup” crap. Because it’s more than that.

But it never comes easy for the Gunners, who will be without the majority of their starting back three and potentially more. It’s not a pleasant situation and it’s definitely one that raises more questions than we have answers.

Through it all, the main thing the Gunners have to keep in mind is that they cannot sacrifice the 3-4-3. They have to cling onto it no matter the alterations required. So long as they have that midfield duo of Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka and the attacking midfield duo of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, the shape must be kept.

The questions defensively are huge and need to be addressed, but when you get down to it, the combination that they will put forth as their back three has it’s merit. Per Mertesacker is a seasoned veteran, slow as he may be. Rob Holding is the improved version of John Stones and you don’t get anyone more reliable than Nacho Monreal.

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With the injuries to this back line, it might prompt Arsene Wenger to revert to a back four, but this cannot happen. The back four led Arsenal astray this season. So much so that even the stubborn Wenger amended his ways and tried something new. Since that time, the Gunners have won all of their games except one, and even in that one loss, they were still in the game and every part of Tottenham’s equal.

To forfeit that is to forfeit the momentum, forfeit the structure and forfeit the attacking sharpness. Those are three things the Gunners cannot afford to forfeit at this juncture.

In all likelihood, Wenger will stay the course and stick to the 3-4-3. He may have to get creative to do so, but he knows damn well how successful it has been.

Next: Arsenal vs Chelsea Predicted Starting XI

Stick with the 3-4-3 and the Gunners can beat anyone. Although, they have always been capable of that, so let’s try this again: Stick with the 3-4-3 and the Gunners can with more frequency beat anyone. Even Chelsea.