
4. Depth
Arsenal’s starting 11 is as good as anyone’s, but when competing with a machine like Man City, their depth is just not there.
The team coped without Gabriel Jesus, with Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard doing stellar jobs in his absence, but the loss of Saliba was just one step too far for Arsenal.
🚨 Arsenal doctor gives Gabriel Martinelli injury update to fan after 'disgraceful' tackle
— Arsenal Informer (@ars_informer) May 15, 2023
🗣️ Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli might return before season's end, despite an early exit in the match against Brighton due to a 'disgraceful' foul by Moises Caicedo.
🗣️ "[He's] sore.… pic.twitter.com/CcNv5CO0Pz
That lack of depth has led to the likes of Gabriel, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Granit Xhaka, Ben White and Odegaard playing virtually every minute this season, which is a huge reason why much of the core looks burnt out at this stage.
But, Arteta has to take responsibility for part of this. When Arsenal have been in comfortable winning positions, he needs to take players like Saka, Odegaard and Martinelli off, even if he doesn’t fully trust their backups, as the team will have enough to see games out.
Continued on the next slide…