Arsenal: Does Qarabag XI hint at Southampton decision?

Has Emery decided who will play in his defence vs Southampton? No more selection headache for Unai Emery? Will Koscielny start?

Against Qarabag, Unai Emery chose to field a peculiar Arsenal defence of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Laurent Koscielny, Sokratis, Jenkinson, obviously excluding the likes of Kolasinac, Monreal, Lichtsteiner or Bellerin. With the mix of experience and youth against Qarabag, does that mean he has decided his Line-up vs Southampton?

The Gunners beat Qarabag on Thursday night with a youthful team with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock, and even Jenkinson (Yes, he’s still here). Zech Medley and Charlie Gilmour also had a go from the bench.

But as is with the Europa league, we don’t play (or at least start) players who will start or play in some capacity in the next Premier League game, unless to build up fitness or confidence or in other cases, if the opponent is a club that can actually cause us problem and wreak some havoc a bit.

So the line-up Emery decided to pick should pretty much tell you there’s no selection headache for upcoming for the Premier League, as he hinted the defence he might likely field vs Southampton.

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Southampton have been a thorn in the Gunners’ flesh, less so recently, but still, we need not under-estimate them. We therefore need to field our strongest team possible, especially with a battered and hole-filled defense. With Sokratis, Mustafi, and Holding absent through a mix of suspensions and injuries (Mustafi having both), defence has been a position not quite certain and perhaps the worst possible time, with the December fixture list picking up in intensity.

With Koscielny being the only fit (Ha! Barely) outright senior centre-back available, defence has been up in the air, but maybe Emery has hinted, through his line-up in the Europa League, who he will pick for the premier league match.

I think he might continue with the formation of recent, the 3-back. And it might include Monreal as LCB, Koscienly as CB, and Lichtsteiner as RCB, with Kolasinac and Bellerin as the wingbacks, as usual.

This match was obviously used to build up the fitness of Koscielny (played the first 72 minutes) and Monreal (came on for Bosscielny) after their injuries. This prediction might just be a shot in the dark but trust me, it’s plausible (and possible).