Mikel Arteta must blood Arsenal youth in Premier League

Arsenal’s season was on the line in the Europa League Round of 32 against Benfica, and Mikel Arteta was staring down the barrel with half an hour to play.

His team were able to turn things around, thanks in no small part to the contributions of Kieran Tierney, Bukayo Saka, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, despite this scare, the Arsenal manager must not get trapped in the present.

During the first-leg, he made a substitution which suggested that he was already thinking about the future.

With Aubameyang having a poor night in front of goal, Arteta decided to replace him. Rather than turning to Alexandre Lacazette or Eddie Nketiah, he brought on Gabriel Martinelli.

https://twitter.com/Aubameyang7/status/1362524570884968450

Mikel Arteta should use the remaining Premier League games to blood Arsenal youth as Europa League remains priority

While there had been calls to trial the Brazilian as a central striker – especially as Arteta himself seems unconvinced by both Aubameyang and Lacazette – very few expected the Arsenal manager to make that change.

Giving Martinelli minutes as a centre-forward was sensible. He has all the necessary characteristics – hunger, quickness, composure, and savvy – and the futures of Lacazette, Nketiah, and Folarin Balogun are all uncertain.

Nonetheless, Arteta’s ‘experimenting’ can’t stop there. Deep down, he knows that the Europa League is Arsenal’s only real hope of European qualification. As such, he should use the remaining Premier League games to look to the future.

Gabriel Martinelli certainly deserves more minutes, as does Reiss Nelson given his performances earlier in the campaign were sharp and direct, even if he won’t get them.

Unsurprisingly, Thomas Partey has been troubled by injuries since becoming an Arsenal player. If the Ghanaian misses more time, Arteta should think about replacing him with Miguel Azeez.

Azeez impressed in his brief Europa League cameo earlier this season, with his elegance and composure earning praise. The club have high hopes for the midfielder, and senior minutes would benefit his quest to become a future regular.

Kieran Tierney is another player who has spent a lot of time on the treatment table. With Sead Kolasinac returning to Schalke and Ainsley Maitland-Niles temporarily joining West Brom, Arsenal lack depth behind their flying Scotsman. They risk running him into the ground if they do not manage him properly.

It’s been revealed that the club plan to sign a ‘young talent’ this summer who would serve as Tierney’s deputy. However, before they go ahead with that plan, they should give Joel López a chance to prove his readiness. The Spaniard’s defending still needs work, but he is dynamic in possession and has been performing consistently for the academy.

Arteta knew that taking Arsenal back to the pinnacle of club football would be difficult. After a tough start to the league season, he finds himself in a unique position from which he should look to benefit.