MX23RW : Wednesday, April 24 23:46:03| >> :120:40880:40880:

How Arsenal could line up in 2018-19

Ahead of their Premier League opener against champions Manchester City, Sports Mole looks at how Arsenal could line up during the 2018-19 season.

It has been a summer of seismic change for Arsenal, with decreasing levels of performances - and perhaps just as importantly decreasing crowd sizes - spelling the end of Arsene Wenger's 22-year reign in North London.

Unai Emery is the new man in the Emirates Stadium dugout, and his trophy-laden track record suggests that brighter times could be ahead for the Gunners following their lowest league finish since 1994-95.

However, it is always difficult to follow a long-serving boss and there are plenty of things that need to be sorted if Emery is to have an early impact - from the leaky defence to the perceived lack of steel throughout the team.

Emery moved quickly and operated well on a tight budget in the transfer window, but he must now look to reverse the rot that set in during Wenger's final years at the helm.

The fixture list has certainly not helped the Spaniard either, pitting him against Manchester City and Chelsea in his first two competitive matches.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Arsenal could line up in 2018-19.



Possible Arsenal XI 2018-19
Transfers in: Stephan Lichtsteiner (free, Juventus), Bernd Leno (£22.5m, Bayer Leverkusen), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (undisclosed, Borussia Dortmund), Lucas Torreira (undisclosed, Sampdoria), Matteo Guendouzi (undisclosed, Lorient)

Transfers out: Per Mertesacker (retired), Santi Cazorla (free, Villarreal), Takuma Asano (loan, Hannover), Jack Wilshere (free, West Ham United), Marc Bola (free, Blackpool), Matt Macey (loan, Plymouth Argyle), Chuba Akpom (undisclosed, PAOK), Calum Chambers (loan, Fulham), Lucas Perez (£4m, West Ham United)

The goalkeeper position is one of intrigue at the Emirates this season, with record Premier League clean sheet holder Petr Cech refusing to give up his place without a fight - despite an error-strewn 2017-18 campaign. Summer signing Bernd Leno is expected to be the club's number one, though.

Arsenal's tally of 51 goals conceded last term was their highest since the 1983-84 season, so it is no surprise that Emery has aimed to bolster his backline with the arrival of veteran Stephan Lichtsteiner and Sokratis Papastathopoulos. Lichtsteiner will likely need to settle for a backup role behind Hector Bellerin, but with Laurent Koscielny injured for the opening months of the campaign, Sokratis should have the chance to feature alongside Shkodran Mustafi at the heart of the defence.

Nacho Monreal impressed in a back three on numerous occasions for Arsenal last season but should revert to the left side with Emery's new formation, although he could find himself behind Sead Kolasinac in the left-back pecking order.

One of the big questions heading into the campaign will be whether Emery sticks with the 4-3-3 formation he deployed at Paris Saint-Germain, or reverts to his favoured 4-2-3-1 system which brought him such success at Sevilla. With the players at Arsenal's disposal, the latter appears to be a better fit.

The Gunners may have lost stalwarts Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla, but the signing which has excited Arsenal fans most this summer has been the arrival of Uruguay international Lucas Torreira, who should add some grit and steel to the midfield. Torreira is likely to eventually be preferred to Granit Xhaka as the midfield destroyer alongside Aaron Ramsey, who remains a key part of the team despite entering the final year of his contract.

Mesut Ozil will hope to put his summer of disappointment and controversy behind him from his favoured number 10 role, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan is set for his first full season with the club having shown glimpses of his quality following his January move from Manchester United.

Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck provide further attacking options for Emery, but his biggest decision up front will be how to get the best out of both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. Aubameyang scored 10 goals in just 13 Premier League appearances during the second half of last season but is more likely to be played from the left, with Lacazette leading the line.

ID:333032: cacheID:333032:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6989:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Unai Emery in charge of PSG on April 6, 2018
Read Next:
Arsenal 'to offload seven players'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
10am
Blanch
Nadal
10am
Cachin
Ofner
10am
Elahi Galan
Bautista-Agut
10am
Gasquet
Sonego
10am
Hanfmann
Mensik
10am
Koepfer
Carballes Baena
10am
Kovacevic
Medjedovic
10am
Lajovic
Monteiro
10am
Machac
Ruusuvuori
10am
Michelsen
Fonseca
10am
Nishioka
Auger-Aliassime
10am
O'Connell
Arnaldi
10am
Purcell
Giron
10am
Ramos-Vinolas
Kotov
10am
Tabilo
Cobolli
10am
Zhizhen
Kecmanovic
10am
Azarenka
Maria
10am
Eala
Cirstea
10am
Annie Fernandez
Potapova
10am
Gauff
Rus
10am
Keys
Camelia-Begu
10am
Podoroska
Navarro
10am
Karolina Schmiedlova
Jabeur
10am
Swiatek
Wang
10am
Baez
Van Assche
10am
Coric
Zverev
10am
Martin Etcheverry
Shapovalov
10am
Humbert
Van De Zandschulp
10am
Hurkacz
Draper
10am
Marozsan
Cerundolo
10am
Paul
Klein
10am
Rublev
Bagnis
10am
Altmaier
Fils
10am
Darderi
Fritz
10am
Griekspoor
Daniel
10am
Munar
Struff
10am
Musetti
Seyboth Wild
10am
Navone
Rune
10am
Shevchenko
Alcaraz
10am
Alexandrova
Krueger
10am
Andreeva
Noskova
10am
Bejlek
Kalinskaya
10am
Boulter
Montgomery
10am
Bronzetti
Rybakina
10am
Collins
Danilovic
3pm
Cristian
Krejcikova
10am
Dolehide
Kalinina
10am
Garcia
Wang
10am
Linette
Sabalenka
10am
Pavlyuchenkova
Saville
10am
Sorribes Tormo
Svitolina
10am
Vekic
Sakkari
11.30am
Arango
Yastremska
11.30am
Osaka
Samsonova
11.30am
Ostapenko
Bouzas Maneiro
1pm
Haddad Maia
Errani
2.30pm
Lourdes Carle
Kudermetova
2.30pm
Mertens
Stephens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Liverpool34228475344174
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!