Fringe Players Must Impress to Show Arsenal Have the Depth to Challenge

On Tuesday, Arsenal travel to face Nottingham Forest in the third round of the newly named EFL Cup.

As ever, manager Arsene Wenger is likely to use the opportunity to rotate his squad. It’s a great chance for those who’ve struggled for regular football thus far in 2016/17 to stake their claim for a spot in the first XI. 

This promises to be an intriguing encounter, as Arsenal could come up against a couple of familiar faces. Former Gunners midfielder Henri Lansbury wears the captain’s armband for Forest, who are also able to call upon ex-Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner. Having been released by Arsenal at the end of his contract in 2014, the Dane would likely love to make a point by scoring on this reunion with the club. 

It won’t be easy for Bendtner. Even if he chooses to rotate his squad, Wenger should still be able to name a strong side.

One obvious candidate for a start is Granit Xhaka. The Swiss midfielder has only featured from the get-go in two games this season and not since the 3-1 win at Watford prior to the international break. It’s surprising that such a high-profile signing has not been more heavily involved.

Wenger recently faced searching questions from journalists intrigued as to Xhaka’s continued omission. He said that Xhaka remained a big part of his plans, per Dev Trehan for Sky Sports:

Every week [Xhaka] is stronger and better. I think he will play a big part. 

He has the stature, the power the strength. Many players it took some time to get into the team, it happens. Look, in one or two occasions [he struggled]. I think he has adapted quite well. His physical strength and power allows him to pretend to play straight away.

I prefer him as a box-to-box player. He has the engine to have an impact with his runs. He is highly focused.

That focus was in evidence during Xhaka’s cameo appearance against Hull City on Saturday. When Santi Cazorla was lucky to escape a second booking at the KCOM Stadium, Xhaka was brought on for the final 24 minutes to help Arsenal close out the victory.

However, he was clearly determined to do more than that. With Arsenal leading 3-1 and the game seemingly drifting into a no-contest, Xhaka decided to make his presence felt. After storming into …

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