Arsenal: What changes, if any, can we expect against Chelsea?

Arsenal’s upcoming match against Chelsea is rather important, so what changes, if any, will Unai Emery be rolling out to take maximum pointage?

Arsenal fell flat on their faces against West Ham. After a promising opening burst that should have given the Gunners at least a goal, they couldn’t manage to get one over the line and they just crumbled from the inside out at that point.

There were a lot of areas that failed against West Ham, and it will be on Unai Emery to establish enough changes to prevent those failings against Chelsea, who will more than likely be able to punish us much worse than the Hammers did.

The biggest change that Unai Emery needs to consider is how to get more chances created from his midfield. There just weren’t any creative impulses coming out of the side, and that solution can be met any number of ways.

The first way is to let Granit Xhaka be free. He creates chances if you allow him to get forward and do so, but he can’t do that with Matteo Guendouzi as a partner. He absolutely cannot. Guendouzi is too wayward to allow Xhaka that freedom.

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Thus comes change No. 1. Emery will likely just opt to sub Torreira in for Guendouzi, which would do the trick more or less, but if he really wants to lean on Xhaka, which I am always in support of, he could start all three and let Torreira play the clean-up roll while Guendouzi and Xhaka share creative flexibility – and they both can play that role.

Another option would be, and I can’t believe I am actually saying this, to sit one of the two star strikers. I won’t say which one, because I don’t know which I’d prefer, but the logic behind this is to save one for a late injection, which is quite likely to be a necessary thing.

Then, you can utilize that other spot for another creator, such as Aaron Ramsey, who carries innovation with him in abundance. If you start Iwobi and Ramsey and let Xhaka have some roaming freedom, then there will be chances aplenty.

Now the fun part – no changes are needed defensively! Oddly enough, it was the defense that was the most impressive against West Ham and, if they play like that, with a wee bit more sharpness, then there’s no reason why we can’t give Chelsea fits in that arena too.

Oh, and Hector Bellerin will be a change, obviously. Just seeing him on the pitch again was enough to make me forget that he was ever gone in the first place.