Arsenal Vs West Brom: Predicted starting XI – Rest and rotation defied

Arsenal, just three days after their 3-2 win against Crystal Palace, travel to the Hawthorns to face a hardened and embattled West Bromwich Albion side that is somewhat meandering under the guidance of new manager Alan Pardew. With Chelsea coming to the Emirates just three days after the trip to Birmingham, Arsene Wenger may choose to utilise his squad during this busy period.

 Here is the predicted starting XI for Sunday’s game.
 Goalkeeper
 Petr Cech will start every Premier League game as long as he is fit. Let’s move on.

Back Three:
That will see Laurent Koscielny shift over to the left side again, with Calum Chambers introduced on the right, both flanking Shkodran Mustafi, the anchor of the defence. For the most part, the three played well against Palace, allowing just two shots on target. There is little reason to change. I don’t see Wenger doing so.

Wing-Backs:
Wenger was discussing the rotation of Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Sead Kolasinac, he spoke of how their respective skillsets suited the different subtleties and nuances between playing as a more traditional full-back in a back-four and as a wing-back in a back-three. His point, ultimately, was this: Maitland-Niles is a better full-back; Kolasinac is a better wing-back.
Therefore, because I think that Wenger will continue with the back three that he reinstated against Palace, I also think that Kolasinac, not Maitland-Niles, will get the start. Maitland-Niles has played at wing-back in the Europa League and Carabao Cup this season. But I am not sure that Wenger trusts him in the league just yet.

Contrastingly, the situation is rather clearer on the opposite flank. It is Hector Bellerin or bust. Unfortunately, given his recent struggles, that has not necessarily been positive for Arsenal. But the Spaniard, even for his young age, is experienced and established. He is also trusted and is the only outfield player to play every minute of Premier League football this year.

Central Midfield:
 That leaves an infamously hobbled and vulnerable Jack Wilshere in the midfield. It is not a nice situation for him to play so many games in such quick succession. I fear greatly for his ankles. The problem that Wenger has, though, is that there are few, if any, other options available.

As such, I expect Wilshere to start. Without Ramsey, who could return in early January, and Cazorla, there is no creative midfielder in the squad. And I predict that Wenger will rest Xhaka and introduce Francis Coquelin, who was brought on for Alexandre Lacazette against Palace to sure things up. But, in all honesty, no one really knows what Wenger is going to do.

Front Three:
In terms of the strength of alternative options in the squad, if Wenger was to rotate his squad, the front three positions would be where he does it. With Danny Welbeck, Alex Iwobi and Theo Walcott all waiting patiently for their opportunity, even with Olivier Giroud unavailable through injury, Wenger still has plenty of players to disappoint.

And disappoint I suspect he will continue to do. That is because of the quality of the starting trio. How can you rotate players when you have Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, and Alexandre Lacazette available to start?

These are the strength of this team. They are where the resources have been placed, in terms of money and trust. It would be madness to drop any of them, even when fixtures pile up as they do during the festive period.