Arsène Wenger was forced to improvise for the traditionally difficult fixture at Stoke,but the solid base he happened upon may serve the team well in futureMaking adjustments to deal with absent players is par for the course for all managers, and Arsène Wenger had something extra to factor in as he tried to construct a team to contend with his fixture horribilis without his creative hub. An inflamed toe on Mesut Özil’s good foot had been bothering him. Stoke were in a similar boat with Xherdan Shaqiri out of the picture, and but Özil’s absence,in an accidental way, forced Wenger to reshuffle his formation and the platform was there to view more solid than is often the case at the Britannia. Related: Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey clears off the line to keep Stoke City at bay Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com