Arsenal left it late to move up to second in the Premier League courtesy of a 2-1 win over Burnley on Sunday.

Arsene Wenger’s men looked set to be frustrated by the Clarets when Andre Gray cancelled out Shkodran Mustafi’s opener in added time, but Alexis Sanchez’s penalty in the eight minute of stoppage time secured the points for the hosts.

It meant that they leapfrogged by Tottenham and Liverpool into second, although the Gunners still remain eight points adrift of league leaders Chelsea after they beat Hull 2-0 on Sunday.

Nonetheless, there are encouraging signs for Arsenal after a fourth win in five league games, and indeed a 14th league victory of the campaign.

They go to Southampton on the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday in a bid to regain the trophy they won in 2015, yet many still feel that they are short in certain areas to consistently challenge for the Premier League title, and that Wenger needs to strengthen this month in a bid to keep them competitive until May.

Thus, here is what their IDEAL XI could look like come the end of the month…

Petr Cech

One of the best goalkeepers the Premier League has ever seen, Petr Cech continues to be the solid and dependable shot-stopper that helped him win three league titles with Chelsea.

The 34-year-old left Stamford Bridge after ten years at the club in 2015, and made a surprising move across London to Arsenal, where he picked up exactly where he left off with the Blues.

In his first full season at the Emirates, Cech accumulated more clean sheets than anyone else in the Premier League, and helped Wenger’s men concede just 36 goals, one less than the lowest conceders Tottenham and Manchester United.

Thus, the Czech is still a quality goalkeeper who will, over the course of the season, win points for Arsenal.

Hector Bellerin

Spanish international Hector Bellerin is rapidly becoming one of the best right-backs in the Premier League.

The 21-year-old made his Arsenal debut in a League Cup tie with West Brom all the way back in 2013, but didn’t play regular first team football until the 2014/15 campaign, where an injury to Mathieu Debuchy saw the Spaniard given a sustained run in the side.

And he took it, quickly becoming the number one choice at the Emirates, and going on to make 36 Premier League appearances last term.

Bellerin’s pace and ability to get up and down the flank is exemplary, and his overall reading of the game and ball retention have also improved in recent times.

He’s well on his way to become the best right-back in the county.

Laurent Koscielny

He’s been the bedrock of the Arsenal backline for many a year, but it hasn’t always been plain sailing for French international Laurent Koscielny at the Emirates.

The 31-year-old was sent off on his competitive debut against Liverpool back in August 2010, and that was sign of his struggles to come that season.

However, Koscielny eventually adapted to the English game, and ever since has been an excellent defender for Arsenal who, although is still prone to the odd mistake, is the senior figure in that back four, and continues to lead by example.

He won 17 caps for France last year to suggest that, not only is he doing well for Arsenal, but that’s he’s actually getting better with age to the point that he is one of his country’s key defenders.

Shkodran Mustafi

German international defender Shkodran Mustafi is quite a good omen for Arsenal.

The 24-year-old arrived from Valencia in the summer for £35 million as Wenger looked to replace the injured Per Mertesacker, and has gone on an incredible unbeaten streak since the start of the campaign.

Mustafi has been involved in 21 games for the Gunners this season, and he has never been part of a losing side, having won 15 times and drawn the other six.

It’s a phenomenal run which Mustafi himself has very much been a part of, having slotted seamlessly into the Arsenal back four and developed a good understanding with central defensive partner Koscielny.

There are still question marks about his defensive capabilities against pace, but nonetheless Mustafi has been excellent thus far for Arsenal, and could be at the heart of their defence for many years.

Sead Kolasinac

The left-back area is of concern to some Arsenal fans, what with Nacho Monreal struggling at times this season and Kieran Gibbs not doing enough in his absence to convince of his ability.

Thus, Wenger could be in the market for a long-term fix, and he’d do a lot worse than look at Schalke’s Sead Kolasinac.

The Bosnian international has had a fine season in the Bundesliga this term, netting twice and laying on four assists in just 13 appearances for the club, where he has also vexed his versatility, having occasionally played to good effect in midfield.

However, the 23-year-old is clearly a very good defender who likes to get stuck in but is also good on the ball, and he has reportedly been linked with a move to Arsenal – a deal Wenger should try and get done ahead of Liverpool in the coming days.

Francis Coquelin

Deciding between Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny, and Francis Coquelin is far from easy, but the latter’s greater experience of the Premier League just gets him the nod.

Xhaka’s disciplinary issues must be of concern to Wenger and, with Santi Cazorla out injured for a while, Coquelin will continue to get a decent run in the team if he stays fit.

The Frenchman was recalled from a loan spell at Championship side Charlton back in 2014 due to injury issues in the Gunners midfield, and the 25-year-old has never looked back as he seamlessly slotted into an area that has been Arsenal’s Achilles heel for quite some time.

He went on to make 22 league appearances that season, and then made 26 last term to help the club finish second.

Although he’s not been at his best this time round, Coquelin has shown his quality in that position in the past, and will do again.

David Alaba

Santi Cazorla’s long-term injury has given Wenger a few issues in his midfield area, but bringing David Alaba to the club by next Tuesday could help solve those problems.

The Bayern Munich man is widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world, which would be good for Arsenal should they fail to land Kolasinac this month, yet Alaba is also hugely adept at playing in midfield, with his agility and reading of the game particularly strong and suited to the role.

Thus, Wenger should go out and bring the Austrian international to the Emirates.

He reportedly stated that he’d prefer a move to Arsenal above any other Premier League side, so Wenger should try and make that become a reality within the next week.

Theo Walcott

Theo Walcott was in excellent form for Arsenal before injuring his calf over the festive period, and he hasn’t played for the Gunners since.

The England international, who did not make Roy Hodgson’s Euro 2016 squad last year, scored eight goals and laid on two assists in 16 Premier League starts for Wenger’s men, and looked like the Walcott of old many times before injury.

However, his last game for the club was their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on December 18, as once again injury has struck at a bad time for the 27-year-old, who had looked set to go on and potentially beat his season high tally of 21 goals, which he set back in 2012/13.

Nonetheless, Arsenal fans will hope that Walcott can return from injury soon, as his form pre-injury was outstanding and a key part of the Gunners’ bright opening half of the season.

Mesut Ozil

German World Cup winner Mesut Ozil has still yet to pledge his future to Arsenal, and Gunners fans will hope that he does soon as his form this season has been excellent.

The 28-year-old has scored nine goals and laid on seven assists for Wenger’s men in 25 appearances in all competitions, with his tally of nine goals already his best goal-scoring season for the Gunners since arriving at the Emirates in 2013.

Although the goals have dried up a bit in recent weeks, Ozil has begun to replicate last season’s incredible assists tally by laying on four in his last eight games, and two in his last three.

Clearly, the midfielder is involved in some way in the final third, but the combination of both scoring and creating is one that has served Arsenal well this season, so tying him up to a new deal in the coming weeks is essential if the Gunners want to achieve success this term.

Alexis Sanchez

As much as Alexis Sanchez’s form at the start of the campaign in the more advanced role was sensational, Olivier Giroud will likely get the nod in the striking role for a while yet.

However, the Chilean international Sanchez is still scoring goals and creating them from a midfield position, having netted three times and laying on one assist in six games in that role.

Remarkably, the 29-year-old has scored or assisted at least once in all but one of his last 11 Arsenal games, and continues to be their go-to man when in need of some inspiration.

Like Ozil, Sanchez has yet to commit his future to Arsenal, and some recent signs suggest that he’s not overly satisfied at the club, so making sure he is still there come February 1 is just as important as any potential additions.

Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud’s recent run of brilliant form will likely see him lead the line for Arsenal for a few more weeks.

The French international made his first Premier League start of the campaign in the 1-0 win over West Brom on Boxing Day, such was Alexis Sanchez’s incredible form, but since then has netted five goals in just six appearances for the club, as well as laying on two assists in the draw at Bournemouth.

The 30-year-old is often criticised for not being the world-class forward many feel Arsenal need to challenge for major honours, yet he has scored ten goals in 20 appearances this season, only eight of which have been starts.

Thus, Giroud is clearly in a decent run of form, and could be invaluable to the Gunners in the second half of the campaign.