Arsenal hosts West Ham United tonight, just 3 days after playing 120 minutes at Wembley and winning the FA Cup semifinal on penalties. A victory would put Arsenal ahead of Everton before the Toffees play Crystal Palace at Goodison tomorrow.
The problem is, I have absolutely no clue who will be fit to play tonight.
The backline should be fairly easy. Wojciech Szczesny should start in goal. Per Mertesacker should keep his place despite playing 120 minutes at Wembley, because his position involves less running and he should still be fit to play. Laurent Koscielny could replace Thomas Vermaelen and return to the side alongside the German. Arsenal's defensive record when the Mertesacker and Koscielny play together at the Emirates is superb. Carl Jenkinson and Kieran Gibbs should start so Bacary Sagna and Nacho Monreal can rest.
The midfield isn't so easy. Mathieu Flamini will serve the 2nd of his 2-match suspended due to yellow card accumulation. Aaron Ramsey, who was out for nearly 4 months, played 110 minutes Saturday. Handing Ramsey another start on such short rest would seem foolish and risky. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mikel Arteta played the full 120 at Wembley. They probably shouldn't start either. Jack Wilshere is out injured as well, meaning 5 of our best central midfielders are (or should be) ruled out of the starting lineup.
It might be time for Kim Kallstrom's first start. He is certainly the most fresh of our midfielders, after playing just 10 minutes at Wembley. But who will play alongside him?
My best guess would be Isaac Hayden. Hayden has played a couple times for the first team in his Arsenal career, and has featured heavily for the Arsenal U-21s in the last two seasons. Hayden did not play in the U-21s 4-0 loss to Leicester yesterday, suggesting he will at least be in the squad tonight. Hayden is known for his versatility and defensive ability, as the tough-tackling player can double as a defender. Without other credible options available, Hayden could be in line to play tonight.
The attacking positions aren't much easier to pick. Lukas Podolski was subbed out at Wembley, and thererfore should start again. Olivier Giroud should come in for Yaya Sanogo. Santi Cazorla played all 120 minutes as well and Cazorla should also be rested. Mesut Ozil is still out injured. As Thomas Eisfeld played for the U-21s yesterday, he likely will not feature either. That leaves Tomas Rosicky, who will need to pass a late fitness test. There are simply no other options to replace Cazorla in the #10 role.
The right wing is even harder to predict. The Ox put in a full shift on the right wing at Wembley, and is unlikely to start there again tonight. Serge Gnabry is reportedly still out injured, and obviously Theo Walcott is still recovering from his torn ACL and cannot play.
That leaves very few options, but my best guess would be another youth player, Hector Bellerin. Bellerin's natural position is right full-back, but he has strong attacking qualities. Gianfranco Zola loaned Bellerin to Watford earlier this season to play as a wing-back in a different system. But Zola was sacked, and Watford's new manager wasn't as keen on the young Spaniard, so Bellerin was recalled to Arsenal. Bellerin has been on the bench for the last few matches, and it may be time for his first Premier League start.
Arsene Wenger faces the dilemma of picking a fatigued team or an inexperienced one. Personally, I hope he chooses the latter. There are 6 crucial matches remaining this season and further injury problems need to be avoided at all costs. Fatigued players are more likely to be injured.
In addition, a fatigued team could potentially be overrun by West Ham. The Hammers have not played in 9 days. In Rosicky, Giroud, and Podolski the Gunners should still have enough firepower to score goals. And if Koscielny returns to the back line, Arsenal should be more solid defensively. A team with Hayden in midfield and Bellerin on the right wing should still be enough to win this game tonight.
Regardless of the team selection, the players will need to take momentum from the positive result at Wembley and win tonight or else risk falling further behind Everton in the race for 4th place. Full review to come on the blog tomorrow.
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