Dream Arsenal XI vs Aston Villa as Zinchenko returns, Jesus gets his chance and Havertz remains
The trip to Aston Villa was always a date on the calendar that no one was particularly looking forward to after the intense battle that was eventually rewarded with three points last season. Arsenal won 3-1 at Villa Park thanks to a bit of fortune from the back of Emi Martinez’s head off a Jorginho strike.
The Gunners this time have a very different setup with the summer signings peppering the group. Meanwhile, the narrative comes from the persistent links to Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz who the home side have no intention of losing.
It is apparent why Arsenal were so keen on the Brazilian in 2022 after the season he is now having. However, Mikel Arteta — who will be in the stands for the game — needs to ensure that he gets his selection spot on as football.london takes you through our dream Arsenal XI for the game.
In goal, it has been difficult not to consider Aaron Ramsdale for the starting position considering the performance of David Raya at Luton Town. That said, when the England international came in against Brentford he was not exactly inspiring confidence either and I have leaned on the side of consistency and therefore the Spaniard.
Oleksandr Zinchenko comes back into the defensive line, although that is a loose term because he is effectively a midfielder at this stage and it will continue to be the job of Gabriel Magalhaes to cover the area on the centre-left and left-hand side. With Ben White and William Saliba beside him, however, he has plenty of top-class support.
Into the midfield, and this is arguably the most important area of the field for Villa Park. Man City got it all wrong with their selection and even emphasised the loss of Rodri by not using more orthodox options for the roles.
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