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da bet7： Unai Emery’s in-form Arsenal side travel to the south coast on Sunday afternoon to face strugglers Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium. However, recent injury blows and suspensions mean that Emery has some huge decisions to make ahead of this Premier League clash.
New Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl ought to be delighted to be facing the Gunners at such a time and should already plotting a way to exploit the almost-inevitable frailties in Arsenal’s defence.
One the chalkboard
Rob Holding’s knee injury and the one-match bans that apply to both Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis mean that Arsenal must line up without any of their three first choice centre-backs on Sunday.
In all likelihood, Nacho Monreal and club captain Laurent Koscielny will be paired together in the heart of the rearguard – with Stephan Lichsteiner also included if Emery opts to stick with the three-at-the-back formation he has preferred in recent weeks.
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Koscielny only returned to action after a severe achilles rupture suffered last season on Thursday night, when Arsenal took on Qarabag in the Europa League. What’s more, the Frenchman, Monreal and Lichsteiner (the latter two are natural full-backs rather than central operators, too) have a combined age of 99.
If Emery does set up with such an ageing, slow and underplayed defensive unit, then Hasenhuttl must be ready to exploit it.
Elyounoussi to the rescue
One Saints figure who could be key to that approach is Mohamed Elyounoussi. The 22-cap Norway international, signed by Hasenhuttl’s ill-fated predecessor, Mark Hughes, has struggled to have an impact since his summer arrival on the south coast.
However, the 24-year-old’s electric pace and ability to effectively run at opponents with the ball could make him a potent weapon against this depleted Arsenal side. On top of that, the winger’s aggressive, high-tempo style is a suitable fit for the brand of football that Hasenhuttl developed during his time in charge of RB Leipzig, and will likely seek to translate to his new club.
Elyounoussi, an outcast under Hughes, could be set for redemption at St Mary’s, beginning with this weekend’s visit of the Gunners.