Arsenal: Best XI of the post-Arsene Wenger era

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 28: Matteo Guendouzi of Arsenal in action during the Emirates Cup match between Arsenal and Olympique Lyonnais at the Emirates Stadium on July 28, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 28: Matteo Guendouzi of Arsenal in action during the Emirates Cup match between Arsenal and Olympique Lyonnais at the Emirates Stadium on July 28, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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(Photo credit should read GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo credit should read GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images) /

Central Midfield

These are where the more difficult decisions are. Lucas Torreira is the first name to be put down in central midfield. He was superb in his first season and has been consistent ever since. He is unique in the entire squad and the best deep-lying option over the past two seasons. But who joins him?

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There are three clear options: Granit Xhaka, Dani Ceballos, and Matteo Guendouzi. Xhaka has been excellent in recent months but was an utter calamity for the best part of a year, from the second half of the 2018/19 season through to the first half of the 2019/20 season. Ceballos, meanwhile, has only been at the club for one of the two years and has only played well in a handful of matches.

Guendouzi, on the other hand, has been inconsistent and in and out of the starting XI as a result, but has produced the best individual performances, has not endured a similarly disastrous period of form, and has been present across both seasons. For those reasons, he is deservedly in the team.

The final position goes to Aaron Ramsey. Mesut Ozil has played poorly for the past two seasons, bar brief anomalies here and there, while Ramsey was consistently one of Arsenal’s best performers in the 2018/19 season, notching six goals and seven assists in Premier League and European competition.