Patrick Vieira's return to Arsenal

Patrick Vieira faces off against Arsenal on Monday night as the Gunners play Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium.

After being involved with Daniel Ek's takeover bid during the summer, Vieira returns as the opposition manager with an adventurous and improving Crystal Palace side.

The Eagles sit in 14th having beaten Tottenham 3-0 and picking up draws against Leicester, West Ham, Brighton and Brentford.

Wilfried Zaha, Michael Olise and Odsonne Édouard have all looked dangerous going forward for Palace in recent games, but their ace in the hole has been Conor Gallagher with his tricky dribbling and late runs into the box, creating chaos and adding a goal threat from deep.

Palace have had the joint lowest shots on target in the Premier League due to their individualistic style but it is that same style which makes them difficult to play against as defenders constantly have to worry about direct, skilful dribbling.

Vieira's side are confident on the ball and will look to be brave against Arsenal so it will be up to Mikel Arteta to ensure his team press high and cut out balls into the Crystal Palace forwards.

In their game against Leicester City before the international break, Palace were caught on the ball at the back as Leicester pressed high.

Marc Guéhi played the ball to Joachim Andersen who took a heavy touch. Kelechi Iheanacho and Jamie Vardy pushed onto the Palace centre backs, allowing Iheanacho to capitalise on the heavy touch and go clean through before slotting the ball into the net to make it 1-0.

The Eagles paid a combined £36.75 million, according to Transfermarkt, for Guéhi and Andersen's ball playing ability so they will continue to be brave on the ball as they look to play out from the back.

Arteta should look to exploit this as Leicester did and press high when they are on the ball. If the press is successful, Arsenal will either steal the ball off Palace in a dangerous area or force a long ball which gives the Gunners a better chance of regaining possession.

It leads into a difficult decision for Arteta - does he play the 4-2-3-1 or the 4-3-3?

With the absence of Granit Xhaka through injury, Arteta's 4-3-3 becomes an easier choice. The reliance on Xhaka's ball progression over the years has made him a permanent fixture in the side. However during his suspension earlier this season, we saw a glimpse of what life without him could look like.

A 4-3-3 with Thomas Partey at the base of midfield with Emile Smith Rowe and Martin Ødegaard occupying free roles ahead of him, similar to Kevin De Bruyne's role at Manchester City.

It would likely bring about the inclusion of Nicolas Pépé on the right wing to add another attacking player.

On the surface, another attacker to match up against Palace's centre backs makes sense but with Aubameyang and Pépé there will be a lot of possessions where Arsenal's press will lack energy and cohesion due to the temperament of both players.

As a result, the 4-2-3-1 is the better option for this game as it allows Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe to start higher up the pitch where they can lead the press with their infectious energy.

It would likely result in Albert Sambi Lokonga partnering Thomas Partey at the base of midfield which would provide an extra body to help monitor the runs from Conor Gallagher.

Whilst Arsenal should not seek to play to the opposition for every game, their inconsistency coupled with Palace's could result in a chaotic game and backfire on Arteta - as it did to Tottenham last month.

This system would then allow Pépé to come off the bench late on and add a direct threat in behind against tired legs, giving Arsenal a boost in attack should they need it.

The 3-1 win at Selhurst Park in May ended a 5 match winless run against Crystal Palace for Arsenal, and the volatility of both sides should be in the mind of Arteta heading into the game.

However, Palace's gameplan is there to see and the international break has given Arteta ample time to prepare, and with a relatively settled team before the break, Arsenal will be looking to continue their recent run of good form under the lights on Monday night.

Prediction: Arsenal 2 - 0 Crystal Palace

Adam Perry - 15/10/2021