3 Key Battles (Arsenal vs Swansea City): Olivier Giroud vs Ashley Williams And More

Arsenal vs Swansea City: 3 Key Battles

Arsenal host the swans at the Emirates Stadium this weekend. The Gunners have been irresistible to watch while playing at home. Swansea will have a tough time dealing with the pace and creativity of the Arsenal attack, but the Welsh side have a lot to fight for too. They sit in 8^th place 4 points ahead of Southampton. A good last 3 games of the season will see them in one of the Europa League qualification places.  Arsenal, on the other hand, can make the jump into second place if they win this weekend and Manchester City drop points against a Queens Park Rangers side who have everything to fight for. Arsenal have not lost at Emirates in the last 34 Premier League games and have won 6 out of their last 7 league fixtures.

Garry Monk and his men can pose a few problems for Arsene Wenger though. A few players, well deployed, can keep the sources of Arsenal’s creative energy in check.

1. Jonjo Shelvey vs. Alexis Sanchez

Shelvey has been operating in various roles in the midfield but at the Emirates he is likely to feature in a defensive midfield capacity trying to keep the pace and dribbling of Alexis Sanchez in check. Shelvey is not as effective in his defensive duties as he is keen to perform them. His tackles come off as clumsy at times and he can give away free kicks in sensitive areas. Exactly what Sanchez will be looking for to increase his goal tally (16) for the season.

Shelvey, on the other hand, has a high passing percentage (80%) this season and can be start counter attacks if he concentrates and pulls off a few interceptions against Sanchez. It is very difficult, but there is an opportunity in there for the Swans to catch Arsenal off guard.

2. Glyfi Sigurdson vs Francis Coquelin

Sigurdsson is the most obvious creator of chances for Swansea. He has 7 goals and 10 assists this season. His biggest challenge this weekend will be going up against Francis Coquelin, the defensive midfielder who is growing into the role. Coquelin will look to close in on Sigurdson giving him no room to make that lethal pass. The battle can go two ways. If Coquelin wins, Arsenal will thwart many of Garry Monk’s plans whereas if Coquelin falls short of achieving his objectives, Sigurdson will avail of many set pieces.

3. Olivier Giroud vs Ashley Williams

If statistics are to be believed then Olivier Giroud will definitely score this weekend at the Emirates. He has 14 goals, 3 assists and one of the best midfield in the world helping him out. The Swansea defence will have their work cut out while dealing with the Frenchman. Ashley Williams is well suited for the job. He is one of the in-form centre backs in the league right now with an average of 3 interceptions and 11 clearances per game. He needs to be wary of two things. Firstly, Giroud’s aerial prowess which can dwarf the best of defenders and secondly, Giroud’s ability to drag defenders out of position for the likes of Sanchez, Ozil and Ramsey to have a go at the goal.