If so, which duo would you go for? Do you value Kolo/Gallas’ experience more than Johan’s compatibility with either of them?

Amidst the warm glowing warming glow of Eduardo’s goalscoring comeback, the imminent returns of Cesc, Theo and (maybe) Rosicky, and the anticipation of Arshavin’s debut, many Gooners – myself included – have been salivating at the our attacking prospects. Trying to perm four from Nasri, Rosicky, Arshavin, Theo, Vela, Robin, Eddie, Ade and Bendtner will indeed be a very welcome headache for Monsieur Wenger.

But what about the defence? Gael and Sagna are automatic choices at full-back, despite the former suffering slightly from a dip in form and the latter experiencing a smidgen of ‘second season syndrome’. In the middle it is a different story.

William Gallas, Kolo Toure and Johan Djourou are all approaching their best form. Which combo from the trio is the way forward? Which duo will snuff out opposition attacks best and be the bedrock from which our creative riches can strut their stuff further up the field?

Former captain Gallas has had a topsy-turvy twelve months. From being the “win at all costs” leader who looked set to propel us to glory a year ago, his fall from grace has been a steep one. First came the incident at Birmingham – which, of course, the press blew out of all proportion – and then being stripped of the armband in November after coming out and publicly saying what most of us privately felt was true. After the initial shock of being ousted as ‘Capi’, he has got his head down, kept his mouth shut and worked his socks off to get back to somewhere near his best. Indeed, apart from the penalty conceded at Villa Park on Boxing Day I can’t remember him committing many grave errors. His good form culminated in a sterling job at the Lane, marshalling 10-men to a vital clean sheet. And he hasn’t lost his knack for scoring crucial goals either; for it was he who rescued us with a late winner against Pompey a month ago.

Kolo Toure is another one to have had an up and down twelve-months. Having returned a tired man from the African Nations last year, he was predominantly fielded in an un-natural right-back role to cover for the loss of Sagna. His misery on the pitch was compounded when he conceded the phantom penalty at Anfield that sent us out of the Champions League. Things were to go from bad to worse off the field as he contracted malaria over the summer. Even for a man as naturally fit as Kolo, it is a debilitating illness and it was reflected in his lethargic performances early on this season. But with Cesc out injured, Kolo has temporarily taken over the armband and it has given him a new lease of life. While he isn’t yet back to his Invincible best, I have no doubt he is approaching it. The sense of responsibility from assuming Cesc’s mantle seem to have done wonders and seemed to have helped quell the January rumours that he was unsettled and agitating for a move away from THOF. I for one am not surprised that the captaincy has bought out the good in him: don’t forget that he was at the helm early last season when we won a dozen games on the spin.

In the summer, every Gooner and his dog felt that we need strengthening in two areas: central-midfield and centre-half. Whilst the first gap still remains in the eyes of some, there is less urgency to fill the second hole. And that is all due to the emergence of one man: Johan Djourou. The minimum you can ask of a defender is to not make any silly mistakes that could lead to conceding a goal, and Johan was error-free in pre-season. Not only that, but he also looked commanding in the air and comfortable on the ball. Having earned the right to start the first game of the season against West Brom, I was dismayed that he was dropped for the subsequent game at Fulham (which, as we all know, is where the season began to unravel). He forced himself back into the first XI and his strength of character can be summed up by his towering performance at Stamford Bridge and having to overcome the ignominy of scoring an own goal. A lesser man would have retreated into his shell, but not Johan. He is still young and I reckon he will be part of our defence for many years to come.

But what of this season? With a third of the league campaign left, the chance to get to Wembley in the FA Cup and Europe looming large, which of the above three should form our backbone?

We’ve known for a long time that the Kolo/Gallas partnership has its flaws. Aerially, those two together are very susceptible – something even Arsene himself has admitted. However, it was a pairing that got us to the top of the table in the first part of the 2007/08 season and has been fielded a few times recently. My concern is that they are both reactive defenders and are comfortable with a more dominant, proactive partner (such as Sol Campbell or John Terry), thereby allowing them to sweep up the second ball.

And that is where Johan comes in. Whilst he is not yet as majestic as a Vidic or a Carvalho, he is certainly further along that road than Kolo or Gallas. He isn’t afraid to put his head where it hurts, nor is he a slouch on the deck.

The question is this: do we plump for one partnership and stick it out? This has the advantage of building up trust and familiarity between the two players, but the unlucky one will feel frozen out. If so, which duo would you go for? Do you value Kolo/Gallas’ experience more than Johan’s compatibility with either of them?

Or should we adjust it from game to game? For example, do we play Johan against the likes of Blackburn and Roque Santa Cruz but play the other two against Newcastle’s Michael Owen and Obafemi Martins?

One thing is for sure: it’s not just in the final third where Le Boss will have a selection headache.