Arsenal vs West Ham: 5 key players as health returns

3. Sokratis

Arsenal’s defense is nothing short of pathetic. The fact that they kept a clean sheet at Blackpool was far more surprising than it should have been, and when you look at the chances the Blackpool created, you’ll see that there probably shouldn’t have been a clean sheet at all.

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What his inclusion really comes down to is the fact that someone will have to defend. Someone will have to corral this defense, and I’m not exactly confident in anyone else. The key, though, is, like Kolasinac, to utilize a back three, and not a back four. That’s when Sokratis is at his best, because it let’s him stay home.

There are new options coming back to health, too. Mustafi and Koscielny are back to full training, which could round out the defense, but Mavropanos is finally back in training as well, and if ever there was an opportunity for him to look a savior, he’s walking right into it.

But in the meantime, I will continue to cling for dear life to Sokratis, hoping that he can at least cobble together some semblance of defensive respectability.

Onward to No. 2.