A recurring feature for Arsenal during the second half of the season has been the number of academy players involved with the first-team for Premier League fixtures.
When the January transfer window closed, the Gunners were left with 21 senior players - going off the club's official website - following the departures of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sead Kolasinac, Calum Chambers, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Pablo Mari and Folarin Balogun in some capacity.
And after opting against bringing in any new faces, Mikel Arteta made the decision to work with a slightly smaller squad for the remainder of the season. But as injuries, suspensions and Covid-19 absences were always going to be possibility, the chances of the Spaniard having the dream scenario of being able to select every first-team player for the final 17 games of the campaign were slim to none.
