Premier League 2018-19: How will Arsenal line-up this weekend... and how should they?

A new era dawns in north London as the Arsene Wenger cobwebs are blown off the Emirates, and Unai Emery takes the veteran’s seat in the main office.

Emery did well at Paris Saint-Germain, walking to the title last season by 13 points, albeit with a somewhat unlimited transfer budget.

In his new surroundings, he will have to deal with financial setbacks; he faces a strained working relationship with a board that doesn’t like to invest big bucks.

However, after the shrewd additions to the squad’s defensive barracks this term, the good times could be back on the horizons for the Arsenal.

It seems likely that Emery will play it fairly safe in his opening game against reigning champions City. He elected to play an all-out 4-3-3 formation in Paris to get the best out of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani, but he knows the defensive quality in the Premier League is infinitely higher than that in the French leagues.

The Spaniard will most probably adopt a structured 4-2-3-1 come August to help soak up most of the Citizens’ pressure, and he will look to exploit them on the counter at pace. This will be done by placing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the left flank, and also making sure that Mesut Ozil has suitable support as the number 10 when the Gabonese drifts in. Henrikh Mkhitaryan seems the most likely to start on the right, and he will also cut inside and try and affect the game in the final third.

However, the organised nature of the 4-2-3-1 means, as seen with Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United, offensive play and clear-cut chances can become hard to come by. It also means that the lone striker could end up isolated if the attacking midfield trio don’t help him in the box.

That’s why a 4-3-1-2 would suit the Gunners better. It would mean that a holding midfielder would add steel to the centre of the park, shielding the back four as well as stepping into the halfway zone to link the defensive and the creative lines.

Granit Xhaka has played this role before, but whether or not Emery really wants to give him an opportunity remains to be seen. If the Gunners are in the market for an anchor man, then Sevilla's Steven N'Zonzi could be the ideal man for the role having flourished in La Liga last term.

Two energetic, box-to-box midfielders would add numbers both offensively and defensively, and they would also help with the pressing game that it seems Emery wants to employ. This would mean that instead of playing 5’7” Lucas Torreira at the back of the diamond, where he’s vulnerable to a physical bullying and aerial battering, he is moved to more of a number 8 role that allows him to use his creative instinct further up the field.

Another new centre-back is needed for cover after Laurent Koscielny's injury, Per Mertesacker's retirement and Calum Chambers' loan departure to Fulham.

Rob Holding could do an excellent job, but it is Shkodran Mustafi who needs replacing. The 6'0" German hasn't been the rock in the heart of the Gunners' defence that Arsene Wenger was hoping, and he has come unstuck on occasions and been caught in possession multiple times in dangerous areas when teams went after Arsenal and pressed them hard.

A more physical, taller and all-round more complete centre-back would do the north Londoners a world of good, and Kevin Vogt could be that man. Publicly renowned for being one of the quickest central defenders around, Vogt has the composure to play out from the back as well as being able to get stuck into rough challenges and aerial battles when called upon with his 6'4" stature and powerful physique.

The Hoffenheim man could be available on the cheap and would almost certainly offer better value for money than an older, leggier defender.

The narrowness of the side would be nullified by the overlapping runs of full-backs Stephan Lichtsteiner and Sead Kolasinac, with the defensive midfielder and one of the box-to-boxers dropping back to cover the space left in behind. However, with Bosnian Kolasinac out for 10 weeks with injury, youngster Ainsley Maitland-Niles would ideally come in for cover over Nacho Monreal.

Granted, the Spaniard has been solid in his time at the Emirates, but can be found wanting especially when he finds himself in a physical battle or a foot race. Maitland-Niles is the more obvious choice, especially when facing Manchester City with Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling's pace on their right flank.

Young gun Maitland-Niles has experience of playing left-back from his first-team experiences last term, and would offer more potency going forward, being a midfielder by trade.

Mesut Ozil would be given the freedom to roam as a number 10, and the box-to-box nature of Ramsey and Torreira would give him the support he needs in conjunction with Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang dropping deep to shrug off their centre-back markers and hold up the play with their backs to goal.

This formation would therefore allow Aubameyang and Lacazette to play up front together, in their preferred positions at the focal striking point of the side. Both frontmen would therefore be allowed to spin in behind and run the channels, stretching the centre-halves out wide and thus creating space for Ozil to operate in the centre.

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