Arsenal Vs Basel: Squad Rotation Wholly Necessary
Arsenal host Basel on Wednesday night after their demolition of Chelsea at the weekend. Squad rotation is now necessary to be contenders all season long.
The season is long and hard. That much cannot be doubted. One of the key advantages that Leicester City had last season was their lesser number of games thanks to an absence of European football and early exits in both the League Cup and FA Cup. Arsenal do not have this luxury.
The Gunners this season will play an absolute minimum of 47 games – that is assuming a loss against Reading in the next round of the League Cup, a loss in the third round of the FA Cup (the first game that they will play) and failing to qualify from the Champions League group stage come November time. The chances of the season playing out that way are extremely small.
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Realistically, Arsenal will play well over 50 games this year and Arsene Wenger’s stubbornness in his team selection has caused his side problems with players breaking down part way through the year. This year, though, Wenger has a squad capable of handling consistent rotation to maintain the freshness of his players.
After a tough weekend match against Chelsea in which the North London club blitzed their South London rivals in a terrific first 45 minutes, they must now recuperate with Basel coming to England with the second match of the Champions League on the horizon. Wenger’s team selection will once be under great scrutiny, and I would like to see a great deal of rotation, especially in midfield areas.
With Francis Coquelin suffering a knee injury in Saturday’s win and Aaron Ramsey already out of action and not expected back until after the international break, the midfield options for the Gunners are a tad depleted. Granit Xhaka and Santi Cazorla are expected to start on Wednesday with Mohamed Elneny resuming his role as the ever dependable backup.
However, Cazorla, particularly has struggled with the physical demands of the frequent games of the modern football calendar. Consequently, as the games begin to rack up, jumping from midweek to weekend, league to cup, domestic to European, rotating between the many options is essential for the team’s success later in the season.
The second half of the season has often been a huge hurdle for Arsenal to overcome thanks to the many injuries that the squad is ravaged by. Now with more options than ever, Wenger has the ability to rotate players in and out the squad with the long and hard season in mind. Such rotation starts with Wednesday night’s match with Basel.
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