Arsenal’s Community Shield victory over Chelsea shows Arsene Wenger’s side can survive without contract rebels Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil
Our friends at Football Whispers look at exciting options like Danny Welbeck, Alex Iwobi and record buy Alexandre Lacazette
THE futures of Mesut Ozil and have been the key talking points dominating ’s preparations for the 2017/18 season.
Both are entering the final year of their contracts at the Emirates and speculation is rife over whether they will still be at the club once the transfer deadline has passed.
Manager Arsene Wenger is determined to hang on to his star duo and has vehemently rebuffed interest in Sanchez in particular.
But both men were missing for the Community Shield at Wembley last weekend, and the Gunners still managed to outplay , winning on penalties.
Our friends at ask whether this shows don’t need Ozil and Sanchez quite as much as first thought.
Keeping faith in the 3-4-3 formation which saw the Gunners win nine of their final 10 games last season, including an FA Cup final triumph over Chelsea, Wenger set up his side to mirror the Blues in English football’s traditional curtain raiser.
With Sanchez still working his way back to fitness after an extended break due to his involvement in the Confederations Cup, and Ozil nursing a minor ankle injury, Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi lined up on either side of £46.5million club-record signing Alexandre Lacazette in attack.
Arsenal’s ability to pressurise and penetrate the Blues’ defensive structure kept wing-backs Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso pegged back for most of the game, minimising the attacking threat of Antonio Conte’s men.
The performances of Welbeck and Iwobi will have given Wenger food for thought.
After the game, Wenger admitted that his squad, 33 strong, is too large and will need trimming.
He was alluding to exits for fringe players such as Lucas Perez and Carl Jenkinson, but the loss of one of his more established stars may no longer seem so devastating.
That way the Gunners retain potency and the threat of pace in behind the opposition, but also benefit from a player more comfortable coming towards the ball and pulling the strings in the final third.
But there is reason to believe that the North Londoners could bounce back from his departure to become even stronger. Lacazette is a deadly finisher with pace to burn and he will shoulder the goalscoring burden.
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