Who should play at left-back against United?

So it’s Manchester United at Old Trafford tomorrow afternoon, a game in which we must bag a positive result, silence the critics and a certain Dutchman.

It will be the first time we will be reacquainted with that greedy ***** who left us in the summer, which makes the encounter tomorrow even more fiery. And I for one hope that those travelling to Manchester give him hell!

Anyway enough about him, I’m going to move on to the matter at hand.

We can pretty much guess what and who Arsene Wenger will play at Old Trafford. Sure enough we will see the trio of Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta occupy the midfield, with Lukas Podolski on the left and, after his impressive display against Reading, Theo Walcott on the right wing. Olivier Giroud will almost certainly play the lone striker role.

But how will our back-line look? This is what many Arsenal fans have been asking via Twitter.

One Gooner in particular, by the name of Gunnervision, Yesterday evening asked: Left back vs Utd? Santos, Vermaelen, Miquel, Sagna? Other?

Andre Santos has been deployed in this position in the absence of Kieran Gibbs. However, following his recent displays against Norwich, Schalke and QPR, I worry about our chances against United if he is picked once again.

So who should our back four consist of?

Personally, I wouldn’t pick Santos for this game. He bombs forward far too much and neglects his defensive duties, something you can’t do when playing a team of United’s calibre. As for Ignasi Miquel, the Spaniard is far too young and inexperienced to play in such an important game.

I would like to see Bacary Sagna play at left-back for this game and Carl Jenkinson occupy the right side of defence. This would be my first option, because while both bomb forward to help the attack, they both have the athleticism and speed to get back in position and very rarely shun their defensive duties.

Another option for Wenger to consider would be playing Thomas Vermaelen at left-back, with Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny in the centre. This will provide the team with more solidarity at the back, but would hinder our attacking options a little.

If it were up to me, I would go for Sagna on the left and Jenky Boy on the right. But I doubt Wenger will do this. Instead, I see him sticking with Santos and deploying Sagna on the right. If this proves to be the case, then Santos better be on his game, otherwise it could be a horrible afternoon for him and us alike.

Stick with Santos or change the back four against United?

Give us your thoughts on the matter below

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