Arsenal: 3 players who Mikel Arteta must lean on more

1. Matteo Guendouzi

In Arteta’s high-pressing approach, the two central midfield positions are extremely physical and athletically demanding roles. Both players have to cover a lot of ground, especially out of possession, and it is difficult to play match after match after match in a short period of time.

Arteta has already shown a willingness to rotate the partner to Granit Xhaka, who does enjoy a more reserved central midfield role, though that might be him determining who best suits the role rather than any fitness-related decision. It is time for him to continue this process when English football returns, and that means more minutes for Matteo Guendouzi.

Lucas Torreira will be returning from an ankle injury, Dani Ceballos works extremely hard but is known to get tired late on in matches, while Guendouzi only started two of Arteta’s ten league matches in charge. He has terrific energy and stamina, boasts a good engine to cover the pitch and run until the 90th minute, and can dominate a game when he is in the right frame of mind.

The Frenchman might be a little too inconsistent to be trusted to start on a regular basis, but in a rotation role, he will be invaluable in this truncated calendar.