Arsenal vs Watford: Danny Welbeck over Mesut Ozil all day

Arsenal’s selection crisis on defense is a matter of starvation, but their crisis in attack is a matter of surplus. Make no mistake about who should be out there.

Arsenal’s problems on defense are all that is being talked about, and rightly so. Shkodran Mustafi‘s injury, coupled with Laurent Koscielny‘s lingering health problems, put the Gunners in a world of hurt when tasked with defending just about everybody.

You simply can’t ask a hodgepodge defense to do what they did against Chelsea in the FA Cup final every day. Eventually it will catch up to them.

Hopefully when it does, everyone will be back healthy.

But enough about the defense already, there is another selection crisis to talk about and it is in the attack. And this is the good kind of crisis, where there is an embarrassment of riches rather and a drought of injuries.

In the front three, you have to assume that Alexandre Lacazette will be starting, which leaves two spots behind him. The options are simple – Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Danny Welbeck. Choose two.

I would love to throw Jack Wilshere in there, but I can’t help but think that Arsene Wenger isn’t seriously considering him yet, despite his insistence that he will play.

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The correct answer between the three is Alexis and Welbeck. Statistically, there is no debating it. Those two have contributed far more than Ozil. Effort wise? I don’t even need to say it. Welbeck and Alexis are both heel-snappers who will be everywhere on the pitch.

It’s this effort that has been powering the Gunners, and what helped them to go for a perfect run in September.

Welbeck is still second on the team in goals scored despite all the time he missed. To not put him out there if he is fully healthy is an inexcusable act of deplorable favoritism to give superstars what they want.

That isn’t what this club is about. It has’t been this year, especially.

Welbeck is the better performer. He fits what the Gunners need, as he proved earlier in the season. We were all devastated when Welbeck got hurt because he was on such a good run. So doesn’t it only make sense to stick him back out there at the first possible opportunity?

Next: Arsenal vs Watford Predicted XI

Meanwhile, when Ozil got hurt, we all assumed he had been benched and no one was that upset about it. Some people even praised the move. What does that tell you about who has done more for the club this year?

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