This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Southampton travel to north London this Saturday to take on an Arsenal side who are still struggling under Unai Emery.
The Gunners find themselves sixth in the Premier League table, eight points off the top four having won just four of their 12 games this season.
However, they are performing nowhere near as poorly as Southampton are.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are 19th – just one point off the bottom – and have also conceded the most goals in the division with 29 let in in 12 games.
Despite the odds seemingly in favour of an Arsenal win, there is one thing that Hasenhuttl can do to cause the Gunners some problems.
What is it?
The former RB Leipzig boss must start Sofiane Boufal on the left wing, and allow him to run at Arsenal right-back Calum Chambers.
Boufal – who has made nine Premier League appearances this season – has recorded two assists for the Saints this term as well as three dribbles per game – he is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in Hasenhuttl’s squad in terms of ball control, skill and dribbling.
Southampton’s official website described the Moroccan as a “roaming midfielder with dizzying footwork” back in the summer – dizzy is exactly what the former Lille man needs to make Chambers, and there is evidence to suggest that will be possible.
Chambers’ recent struggles
It goes without saying that the Arsenal man – who came through Southampton’s academy – isn’t exactly the quickest, nor does he possess great balance.
In a recent outing against Crystal Palace, Chambers found himself up against another mesmeric wide-man in Wilfried Zaha, struggling tremendously to cope with the Ivorian.
Chambers gave away a penalty for a clumsy foul on Zaha following a tidy step-over from the Ivorian, while the Arsenal defender also went home with a yellow card to his name and the worst WhoScored match rating out of all of his Gunners teammates – in fact, his 5.98 rating was the lowest out of all 22 players to have started the game.
It really doesn’t seem as if Chambers enjoys facing tricky wingers, nor does he have the attributes needed to shackle them – this should encourage Boufal, and also force Hasenhuttl into getting his skilful Moroccan isolated against the nervy Arsenal man who used to be one of Southampton’s own.