Arsenal defensive crisis hands Arsene Wenger formation dilemma vs Chelsea

It was already apparent after Sunday’s win over Everton that Arsenal’s defensive options were dangerously overstretched heading into the FA Cup Final.

The full scale of the damage wrought on Arsene Wenger’s men, though, only became apparent in Wednesday’s press conference that saw many Arsenal fans’ worst fears come true.

There was no surprise in the news that Gabriel had been ruled out for the Final, though a six-to-eight-week absence is far from the worst-case scenario for a player who was stretchered off on Sunday with what appeared at the time to be a serious knee injury.

With an optimistic appeal against Laurent Koscielny’s red card in the 3-1 win having failed, Arsenal could ill-afford further absentees in their defence. Yet it now appears that Shkodran Mustafi’s participation in Saturday’s clash with Chelsea is in major doubt, with Wenger refusing to put a percentage chance on the German’s participation.

It all leaves Arsenal down to the bare bones when it comes to constructing a defence for Saturday.

Wenger admitted that he is yet to decide whether to revert to a back four, but should he? Standard Sport assesses his options below…

Back three

Surely continuing with the back three necessitates that Mustafi recover from his illness, a scenario that is becoming increasingly unlikely by the day. Even with the World Cup winner in the side, Wenger is still going to be scrabbling around for options as Antonio Conte continues with his settled trio of Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill.

The 21-year-old Rob Holding will likely be called into action regardless of the formation Wenger uses. While the former Bolton defender has been one of the brightest sparks in Arsenal’s recent upswing in form, his nine Premier League appearances have rarely seen him tasked with warding off a front three as formidable as Eden Hazard, Pedro and Diego Costa.

Nacho Monreal would also likely be pressed into the back three, forcing Kieran Gibbs to switch to left wing-back. The latter has been a steady but unspectacular presence on the flank since Wenger switched formation against Middlesbrough last month and could help tame Victor Moses, if at the cost of penetration in the final third.

In Mustafi’s absence is where the real headaches would emerge for Wenger. Does he summon back club captain Per Mertesacker, who played his first 37 minutes of the season on its final day? Surely that would be a step too far even if the 32-year-old would bring composure and experience alongside Holding.

Back four

Switching back to the system that has served him so well over the past 20 years seems the safe bet for Wenger, particularly without Mustafi.

They may lack strength in numbers, but the Arsenal defenders are all familiar with the requirements of the back four and could seamlessly settle into a 4-2-3-1.

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A central pairing of Holding and Mertesacker may not represent Arsenal at their strongest but both are comfortable on the ball, whil the youngster has the pace to cover if his captain gets caught upfield.

And with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain lacking in match sharpness after nearly a month on the sidelines, it might be wise to return Hector Bellerin and Monreal to full-back roles, particularly in a game where much of their work will focus on taming Hazard and Pedro.

Add to that some of the beatings Chelsea have handed to teams attempting to ape their back three over recent months, and the temptation to revert to type is strong.

What does it mean further forward?

Therein lies the quandary for Wenger. After some initial growing pains, the 3-4-2-1 has unquestionably brought the best out of his most valuable jewels.

Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are free to flit around the edges of an encounter, their defensive responsibilities eased so that they can focus on making decisive contributions in the final third. Six goals and four assists over the last four games speak to a partnership bearing fruit.

Meanwhile Granit Xhaka - written off too soon and unfairly held responsible for a midfield lacking identity without Santi Cazorla - has emerged as a deep-lying conductor who can shield the backline while quickly switching play.

With Aaron Ramsey unshackled alongside him Arsenal have a partnership with promise for the first time since the autumn.

What Wenger must now decide is whether it will be caution or creativity that would give him the best chance of winning a record seventh FA Cup. A cobbled-together back three may just be the invitation Chelsea need to tear into the Arsenal backline. But if Ozil and Sanchez are shackled in a 4-2-3-1 that was seriously stagnating in the early months of 2017, will the Gunners be able to find a way past the champions at Wembley?