Arsenal's international break forces Mikel Arteta to confront an obvious truth

Arsenal went into the international break on good form, even after letting their lead slip against Sunderland right before the interim. Potential champions won't care to admit it, but a point against the Black Cats at the Stadium of Light in this economy is pretty good going.

Nevertheless, drawing after going on a winning streak (and conceding after the clean sheet streak) will force Mikel Arteta to ponder many things. He may wish to make some changes after the international break, but before doing so, he must consider how three players are treated.

Right now, Mikel Arteta has his favorites. And that's fine, every single manager does. However, the way that Arteta approaches his squad rotation is about to be under the spotlight.

Arsenal's Mikel Arteta must now face an uncomfortable truth

The truth that Arteta must face now is that three players need to see an increase in their minutes between now and January, or it'll be decision time about whether they stay or go in January.

Ben White, Ethan Nwaneri, and Myles Lewis-Skelly have all seen a huge reduction in their minutes this season. They very quickly went from being important first-team regulars, or at least making notable minutes from the bench, to being used as last resorts.

The latter two can be forgiven for their youth, but Arteta runs the risk of resting them too much and depriving them of opportunities. Heck, Myles Lewis-Skelly is already twiddling his thumbs this international break, after Thomas Tuchel made the statement for not starting him.

Myles Lewis-Skelly's case is not rare, but it doesn't make it any easier to handle. He has been affected by Riccardo Calafiori's immense form. The Italian, while he is fit, has made himself the number one option at left-back.

So, where does MLS go from here? Of course, he could play in the midfield, but this is an even harder position for him to get into. Arsenal's most irreplaceable players start here, so instead, MLS will have to make a name for himself whenever he's given chances in the Champions League or the Cups.

Ethan Nwaneri has never been a guranteed first-team starter. He's been a rotational player up until this point in his career, but now that he's had plenty of experience around the starters, he must now be thinking about making his breakthrough.

This isn't easy to say, but Nwaneri might benefit from a January loan move. He is at the awkward stage where he is too good for the bench, but not quite good enough (yet) for the Arsenal starting lineup.

Ben White, on the other hand, is a lost cause. Where Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly are right to have optimism about their future, it's hard to say the same about White.

White has seen players ostracized by Mikel Arteta in the past, and he is the latest to join that group.

White started just one Premier League game, at the start of this season, against Man United. Sure, injuries haven't helped his cause, but the only way he gets in above Jurrien Timber is if the Dutch defender picks up an injury or a suspension.