Arsenal vs Southampton: 5 key players to avoiding fiery tailspin

4. Bukayo Saka

Who knows where he’ll play on Thursday? I semi-jokingly said that he might end up in goal if something goes wrong with Emi Martinez and if his previous debuts have been any indication, he’ll do just fine, keep a clean sheet, save three penalties and nab an over-the-top assist to Aubameyang on the fast break.

Chances are, Saka will be tasked with playing in the midfield again because Mikel Arteta saw how well it worked the first time. Not to mention that two other yet-to-be-named players on this list happen to play on the wings, and yet we can’t risk not playing Saka. He’s just too good.

As of right now, it appears as though Saka is keeping Mesut Ozil out of the starting XI, which is just a testament to his growing importance at the club. Expect him to move up this list in coming weeks if he keeps playing like he has been.

Moving on to No. 3.