Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin
Ending with what has been Arsenal’s best holding midfield combination this season, the Cazorla and Coquelin duo should feel familiar.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.