The calls for Arsenal to add depth in this squad grew louder as the January transfer window approached and those desires have been heard and responded to. The Gunners have committed an investment to three players to join in the winter window amid a Premier League title challenge.
Sporting director Edu spearheaded the recruitment alongside manager Mikel Arteta that saw Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior and Jorginho make the switch to Arsenal. Adding these three, however, has created a relatively new scenario for the Gunners' boss.
Rotation at Arsenal has been few and far between due to a number of factors. Arteta has lacked quality depth in a number of positions through injuries to both Gabriel Jesus and Emile Smith Rowe.
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Fabio Vieira, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney have been the only options that could stake a claim in the first team and in the cases of all three, Martin Odegaard, Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko have been too good not to play. Arteta therefore, for the Premier League games, has chosen his best available team each game.
With the likes of Trossard though, there is far more competition and like the Spaniard’s predecessor Pep Guardiola, he faces the challenge of balancing a group who all want to play with those who deserve to be given a chance. Arteta’s in-game management has been questioned throughout his tenure.
His reluctance to make substitutions at times, although this has opened up more this season, often finds Arteta on the end of questions when the result goes against his side. With far more quality options to choose from there’s more reason to keep the team fresh and bring players on in games sooner.
It is also worth pointing out that despite being top of the table and earning a buffer, Arsenal haven’t blown away teams regularly in the style of Man City. Games have typically been won by one or two goals.
In the Premier League only Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Bournemouth have been beaten by a three-goal or greater scoreline. This has meant that Arteta has not necessarily felt comfortable throwing on the bench options in case the scoreline suddenly turns.
In contrast, City have won six games by three or more goals in the league, with Guardiola being able to bring in players like Rico Lewis and Julian Alverez more often, although the latter certainly was already showing top-level quality prior to the start of this season.
With the situation different, it will be intriguing how Arteta navigates the return of European football in March. Plus how both Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Jesus are used when fully fit.
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