ST ALBANS, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 18: (L-R) Santi Cazorla and Granit Xhaka of Arsenal during a training session at London Colney on October 18, 2016 in St Albans, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Through 12 meaningful games this season, Arsenal has already employed four different combinations in the defensive midfield. With injuries, a suspension and Arsene Wenger being Arsene Wenger, Arsenal has yet to settle on a duo in front of its back four. Will the right combination emerge? Better yet, with the club sitting pretty in both the league table and Champions League Group A, does it matter right now?
In its decade-long run of kinda-sorta title challenges, the right combinations have eluded Arsene Wenger. Last season, it was in the center of the back four as Arsenal couldn’t find the right defensive partner for Laurent Koscielny. Wenger solved that with the buy of Shkodran Mustafi in late-August.
Meanwhile, the longtime manager has found an attack that works despite never truly buying an upgrade at center forward this summer. Though Wenger brought in Lucas Perez to seemingly compete with the incumbent Olivier Giroud, Arsenal has found success up top via the Alexis Sanchez experiment. Playing as an out-and-out striker, the Chilean has begun the season in top form while playing alongside the young Alex Iwobi, the virtuoso Mesut Ozil and the reinvigorated Theo Walcott.
But because it’s Arsenal and the team is playing well, we have to pick apart something. In a dozen meaningful matches this year (sorry, EFL Cup), Arsenal have used four different pairs in the holding midfield.
The club has won eight of those 12 games and hasn’t lost since its Match Day 1 thriller against Liverpool, so all the mixed combinations of Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin, Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny have been effective to some extent.
But what’s worked best so far and what’s the likely duo that gets inked on the team sheet?
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<p>Though it wasn’t a game tailor-made for either of their talents, Coquelin was the more impressive of the two while Elneny was subbed off for an aggressive Xhaka midway through the second half.</p>
<p>The obvious drawback to starting the defensive duo is that neither brings much to the attacking table, and last week’s 0-0 home draw with Middlesbrough indicates that.</p>
<p>Though it was by no means a dull nil-nil game, Arsenal never broke through because neither player provided much incisive passing.</p>
<p>Arsenal will be in a similar situation on the road Saturday against Sunderland. The Gunners will likely have over 70 percent possession against a team that will stack players behind the ball.</p>
<p>With <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2016/10/28/arsenal-will-wenger-settle-cdm-pair/"https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/2062326/sunderland-vs-arsenal-team-news-santi-cazorla-a-major-doubt-for-the-gunners-aaron-ramsey-not-ready-to-return-yet/">Cazorla a major doubt</a> for the game, the defensive duo will likely be on the team sheet for the second league game in a row.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2016/10/28/arsenal-will-wenger-settle-cdm-pair/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Coquelin and Xhaka </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h3><strong>Francis Coquelin and Granit Xhaka</strong></h3>
<div id="attachment_424521" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-424521" src=https://playingfor90.com/2016/10/28/arsenal-will-wenger-settle-cdm-pair/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F10%2F586430548-arsenal-training-session-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN – AUGUST 06: Francis Coquelin and Granit Xhaka of Arsenal during the training session at Gothia Park Academy on August 6, 2016 in Gothenburg, Sweden. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)</p>
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<p>The most uninspiring Arsenal attacking display did not feature Coquelin and Elneny. Instead, the Gunners and all the viewers of the Arsenal-Leicester City game on Match Day 2 have Coquelin and Xhaka to partially thank.</p>
<p>With both teams desperate to claim a point following opening match defeats, the anticipated rematch of last year’s top two teams turned into a grind. However, the match’s style set up well for Coquelin, who tackled and intercepted his way to a Man of the Match performance.</p>
<p>For discipline reasons, Xhaka and Coquelin is a pairing we’re unlikely to see again in the starting lineup anytime soon.</p>
<p>Though he’s been a favorite of Wenger’s since his out-of-nowhere emergence in the second half of the 2014-15 season, Coquelin has a track record of getting cautioned rather frequently. Other than the complete lack of goal production, it’s the main flaw in his game.</p>
<p>That said, he’s the more disciplined of the two.</p>
<p>Upon his early summer arrival at Arsenal, the Xhaka hype machine was fueled by positives such as his work rate, his passing range and his natural leadership quality. If there was a negative, it was that he saw red all too often.</p>
<p>Last year while captaining Borussia Mönchengladbach, Xhaka was sent off three times, raising some red flags about his game, so to speak.</p>
<p>After getting called for four fouls in his first league appearance for Arsenal, it didn’t take the Swiss midfielder long to earn his first EPL red card.</p>
<p>Against Swansea City two weeks ago, Xhaka made a rash tackle from behind near midfield. He was sent off as 10-man Arsenal were left to sweat out a 3-2 home win over the Swans.</p>
<p>Xhaka has not played in a game since.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2016/10/28/arsenal-will-wenger-settle-cdm-pair/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Xhaka and Cazorla </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h3>Granit Xhaka and Santi Cazorla</h3>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-424531" src=https://playingfor90.com/2016/10/28/arsenal-will-wenger-settle-cdm-pair/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F10%2F614556932-arsenal-training-session-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">ST ALBANS, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 14: Santi Cazorla and Granit Xhaka of Arsenal during Arsenal Training Session at London Colney on October 14, 2016 in St Albans, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)</p>
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<p>The Cazorla and Xhaka combination was the expected deep midfield duo coming into the year. They’ve started four games together and Arsenal have won all four.</p>
<p>Wenger was very careful in bringing Cazorla back from a lengthy absence due to a knee injury last season. After some sporadic play in the preseason and first two games, the Spaniard was finally back in the XI for Match Day 3 at Watford.</p>
<p>Cazorla’s calming presence was evident immediately, most notably when he scored from the spot against Watford and in Arsenal’s next match against Southampton.</p>
<div class="embed embed-video"><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://playingfor90.com/2016/10/28/arsenal-will-wenger-settle-cdm-pair/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/SKyeiowk0k4?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>While the Xhaka and Cazorla combination has seen two solid attacking displays from Arsenal, the seemingly advantageous passing range that the duo brings to the squad wasn’t evident in wins over Basel and Burnley.</p>
<p>In Xhaka’s reunion in the Champions League with boyhood club Basel, he submitted a rather pedestrian display in the midfield. While Cazorla more incisive, leading the Gunners in touches and completing three key passes, Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Basel will always be defined by two spectacular Walcott goals that came from relatively nothing in the first half.</p>
<p>A sluggish Arsenal was again bailed out four days later against Burnley when Koscielny’s handball on the final kick of the game gifted Arsenal a 1-0 win heading into the most recent international break.</p>
<p>Unlike other newly-promoted teams Hull City and Middlesbrough, Burnley chose the tried and true method of packing the box against Arsenal. Up until that fateful corner kick in the 93rd minute, it worked as neither Cazorla or Xhaka made much of an imprint on the game.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2016/10/28/arsenal-will-wenger-settle-cdm-pair/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Cazorla and Coquelin </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h3>Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin</h3>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-424532" src=https://playingfor90.com/2016/10/28/arsenal-will-wenger-settle-cdm-pair/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F10%2F601047930-arsenal-training-session-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">ST ALBANS, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 09: Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla of Arsenal during Arsenal Training Session at London Colney on September 9, 2016 in St Albans, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)</p>
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<p>Ending with what has been Arsenal’s best holding midfield combination this season, the Cazorla and Coquelin duo should feel familiar.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>In Arsenal’s charge to a respectable third place finish in 2014-15, the two were Arsenal’s top players over the second half of that season, most notably in the shocking 2-0 upset at the Etihad in January that sunk Manchester City’s title hopes.</p>
<p>Arsenal’s three best attacking performances have featured Cazorla and Coquelin holding down the midfield as the two have been part of dominating wins over Hull, Ludogarets and of course, Chelsea.</p>
<p>Though Xhaka on the bench would feel like wasted money on Arsenal’s part, the chemistry and give-and-take between Cazorla and Coquelin is irreplaceable.</p>
<p>Between Cazorla’s passing and technical prowess and Coquelin’s physicality and defensive-mindedness, Arsenal have everything a team needs in the holding midfield when the two are both in form.</p>
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<p>Of course, injuries are part of the game, especially when it comes to Arsenal, and that’s why we’ve only seen the pair together on the field for roughly half of the games.</p>
<p>After Coquelin suffered a three-week knee injury against Chelsea, the two didn’t play together again until the Champions League date with Ludogarets. In a cruel twist of fate, it was Cazorla who went down early in the second half with an Achilles pull.</p>
<p>Cazorla likely won’t be in the lineup Saturday at Sunderland and Arsenal don’t need him to be. But with November games against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United on the horizon, Arsenal fans better hope the two are not only fit in a week, but that Wenger chooses to start them together as well.</p><!—pageview_candidate—></p>">