Arsenal vs Tottenham predicted starting XI: Let’s do it again

Arsenal can shut a lot of people up with a second win against Tottenham. And here is how they may line up their starting XI to do just that.

I’m not panicking about the state of this Arsenal Football Club and you shouldn’t be either. There are far worse things that can happen than a 3-2 loss to Southampton in the circumstances that we had to weather.

That said, a loss has a certain value. It often wakes a team up, shakes them up a bit, and forces them to be at their absolute best in the following match. Which happens to pit the Gunners up against Tottenham at a time that I can see that loss working to our advantage.

Tottenham will, however, be extra thirsty for a revenge, especially after our Gunners celebrated the win (oh the horror), so we will see how well Unai Emery can prep the troops to handle what will be an inspired Spurs club, when Arsenal should be at least equally inspired to get back to winning, if not moreso.

That starts with putting out our best possible starting XI. Which means playing our best players. Which isn’t easy to do, because I don’t think we have the best idea who our best players are going to be on any given day.

Still, there are plenty of people who are undisputedly better, and that is what I think this staring XI is going to be built of.

Against my better judgement, I’m predicting that Emery will revert to the 3-5-2 formation that he used against Huddersfield, and this is how I think he will line up (or, at the very least, how I would line them up).

Keeper

I don’t hold Bernd Leno at all responsible for the loss to Southampton. Not only was the final goal not his fault, but neither were the other two. He was the victim of a slow-to-react defense that left him stranded more times than not.

When he tried to knock the ball away from Charlie’ Austin’s looming forehead, he did the right thing, he just didn’t get there. Can’t fault him for that.

Plus he made some class saves, including that excellent save on the Yoshida bullet header. So can the crap, Leno is in charge, and he is going to get the start.

Moving on to the back three.