Arsenal are back in action again tonight, as they seek to maintain their charge for the Premier League title with a win over Southampton.
Welcoming the rock-bottom outfit to the Emirates would often command an easy win, but with Ruben Selles' men having taken points off Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in recent months, it is far from a foregone conclusion.
That being said, they have lost four of their last five games in the league, showing little to suggest they will be anywhere other than in the Championship next season.
However, Mikel Arteta's outfit have also showcased some fragilities in recent fixtures, having twice surrendered two-goal leads to Liverpool and West Ham United, resulting in back-to-back 2-2 draws.
Having dropped four points in their last two outings, a return to form tonight will be imperative in picking themselves up as they travel to Manchester City next Wednesday.
During their last match, in which they disappointed against West Ham United, the Gunners admittedly suffered due to a lack of personnel.
The absence of Oleksandr Zinchenko is made all the more prevalent by Kieran Tierney's lack of grasp on the inverted full-back role. He simply cannot seem to comprehend where he is supposed to be, which resulted in his 6.6 rating at the London Stadium.
What was particularly interesting was that, following the Scotsman's substitution, Granit Xhaka was moved into that role whilst Fabio Vieira came on. Given they would have to rush their Ukrainian maestro back for tonight's game, perhaps instead they could enlist their reborn midfield general to star at full-back for one game.
How has Granit Xhaka played this season?
The return of the Swiss international, from zero to hero in north London, has been nothing short of meteoric.
From being booed off the pitch by his home support in 2019, to which he reacted with disdain, journalist Charles Watt detailed that fateful occasion:
"Xhaka didn’t help himself. The cheers when his number went up weren’t great, but the anger came because he sulked & trudged off when the crowd wanted a bit of urgency having been pegged back to 2-2. Then playing the pantomime villain was pathetic, especially from a captain."
Such a scathing summation makes his revival this season all the more romantic, as the £120k-per-week maestro has since recorded a 7.03 average rating, buoyed by his five goals and five assists in the league (via Sofascore).
His presence in the engine room is integral in offering a more offensive foil to Thomas Partey, but this is something their young Portuguese maestro could just as easily do.
What is more complicated is the full-back position, which Zinchenko has proven plays such a key role in the progression of the team.
To slightly weaken their midfield to offer an upgrade on Tierney should be a no-brainer for Arteta, who has only demanded 1.6 tackles and one clearance per game from the former Cityzens defender.
The role is more about the creativity and stability of the team rather than defensive output, hence why Xhaka would be the perfect foil just for one game.
They can then hopefully cruise to a win tonight, bamboozling the visitors with this new philosophy, and unleash the fully fit 26-year-old on his old team next week.