Arsenal: The midfield conundrum is the perfect problem

Arsenal’s central midfield dominated against Burnley, without starters Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira. This presents a conundrum for Unai Emery which is absolutely perfect for the season ahead.

Arsenal’s central midfield put together one of their better performances in the Unai Emery era in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Burnley. While there were elements of the team display that can, should and will be questioned and addressed, the vivacity and completeness of the central midfield trio was one of the glaring positives from the second victory of the season.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Dani Ceballos, the Best Player in the World

The three that started the game, Matteo Guendouzi, Joe Willock, and Dani Ceballos, the latter making his home debut for the Gunners, might well have been viewed as the reserve midfielders starting the year. They certainly are in regards to the investment that the club has made in each of them.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

Nevertheless, after their individual outings at the weekend, as well as Guendouzi and Willock both impressing in the season opener against Newcastle United, it is difficult to see how Emery can drop any — with the next match against Liverpool, it might well be the case that he does, for experience sake.

Arsenal’s three reserves at present, Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira patrolling the deeper positions and Mesut Ozil as a more creative, offensive foil, would expect to see a lot of action, but so far, they are yet to prove that they deserve it.

Now, there are, of course, extenuating circumstances here. Ozil has not featured due to safety concerns and sickness, Torreira returned to the club late in the summer due to his international responsibilities, while Xhaka missed the Emirates opener through injury. But the point still stands: they will struggle to get back into the team.

This presents a midfield conundrum of sorts for Emery. How does he manage having six very capable central midfielders in his squad, two of which will be aged 20 for the majority of the season, one of which is only at the club on a temporary basis, another lacking match fitness, and the final two still yet to prove that they are worthy of the big bucks they are being paid?

It is likely Granit Xhaka who should be the most concerned for his starting role. He is not a modern-day midfielder, as defined by the greater athleticism and pace of the modern game, and it was noticeable how much more energetic and mobile the Arsenal midfield looked without him on Saturday. Ozil and Torreira, though, should not expect to meander into the team simply because they are the more senior players who are paid more. They must now prove their worth, and it sets the central midfield up perfectly for the remainder of the season.

There is no better motivator for players than the threat of losing a place in the starting XI. Allowing players to coast, growing comfortable and complacent in their roles in the squad, is how mediocrity seeps into the team, as Arsenal have experienced before. Emery now has the very real threat of dropping the likes of Xhaka and Ozil if they do not perform at the standard or with the effort that he demands of them.

A conundrum is something that must be solved, of course. And as the campaign progresses, Emery will be continually fixing his midfield conundrum. But for now, the best thing for Arsenal is that there is a midfield conundrum in the first place. That proves that options are aplenty, and it will pay dividends throughout the year.