Arsenal: Put up or shut up as ‘Invincibles mentality’ sweeps in

With hungry academy players and key additions in the transfer window, Arsenal are instilling an ‘Invincibles mentality’. For those already at the club, that means one thing: it is time put up or shut up.

Do you hear that? It’s the unmistakable sound of space opening up on the Arsenal bench for Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (among others). Now that Dani Ceballos and Nicolas Pepe are in house, Mkhitaryan and Iwobi will be seeing a lot less of the Premier League than they will the Europa League group stage and Carabao Cup. If Arsenal manage to get the Kieran Tierney deal over the line, the same thing will be true for Sead Kolasinac. And that is all as it should be.

Find the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal Podcast here — Elliot Smith interview

The truth is, Iwobi, Kolasinac and Mkhitaryan have all been given sufficient time to establish themselves as starters. They didn’t, otherwise, Ceballos and Pepe wouldn’t be at the club. Nor would the club be hot on the heels of Tierney. It’s not that the incumbent trio are bad footballers. It’s just the opposite. They all have quality on their day. But those days do not come often enough.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

When Edu took over as Technical Director, he talked about bringing back ‘The Invincibles’ mentality. Having quality footballers like Iwobi, Kolasinac and Mkhitaryan come to the training ground genuinely afraid of losing their jobs is where rebuilding that mentality begins. It is no accident Arsenal’s two best players are both scared of losing their jobs to each other.

Yes, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have a great working relationship. Yes, they’re friends. But make no mistake, they’re competing with each other every day. They both genuinely want to be recognized as Arsenal’s talisman. That friendly-but-fierce competition has made both of them better footballers.

This is the new normal for Iwobi, who has gone from hot prospect to squad player now that Pepe is here. In his defense, the Nigerian has had some very good moments, but he has not shone consistently enough to demand a place in the first XI. Admittedly, he is not a natural winger and he may have been shunted by Unai Emery’s use of him somewhat, but an opportunity is an opportunity, and Iwobi’s game has been found wanting more often than not. As a result, Pepe, the most expensive player in Arsenal’s history, is here to take his job. If Iwobi wasn’t paying attention before, he surely is now.

Mkhitaryan is another who hasn’t been good enough often enough. Enter Ceballos and Pepe once more. They provide the kind of quality through the middle and out wide that only the Mkhitaryan who won the 2016 Bundesliga Player of the Season can match. It’s a simple choice. He can resurrect the 2016 iteration or he can feature in the Carabao Cup. It’s that simple.

Kolasinac should be offended to surf the internet and see the club publicly linked to Tierney every day. Whether Tierney comes in or not, the takeaway for Kolasinac is that Emery has identified him as a weak link on this team. Most of that is down to his vulnerability when defending. He must improve his defensive frailty or find himself replaced sooner than later.

This new reality is also staring Shkodran Mustafi in the face. Regardless of whether or not Daniele Rugani comes in from Juventus, Calum Chambers or Rob Holding will probably be taking the lion’s share of what used to be Mustafi’s minutes. Aside from selling Mustafi outright, nothing is better for both player and club than severely curtailing his minutes.

And it’s not just the new arrivals either. Academy players like Joe Willock and Eddie Nketiah (among others) look determined to force their way into the first team regardless of what veteran’s minutes get pared back as a result. Quite simply, the free ride for non-hackers at Arsenal is coming to an end. The question is, what are all these guys going to do about it?

Every single player whose position is under threat from the new arrivals has enough ability to keep their job. But starting now, they will have to fight for their place on this team each and every day. That means step one in Edu’s mission has been accomplished.