Arsenal's most consistent player simply has to start against Chelsea

As Arsenal carry on their quest to land a first major trophy for six years, some disrespect shown to the Community Shield, they continue to fight on four fronts.

At the top of the Premier League and the Champions League tables, the Gunners reached the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday, coming from a goal down to defeat Portsmouth 4-1. Gabriel Martinelli was the scorer of a hat-trick at Fratton Park, only the seventh man to bag a treble in the competition for the club in over 66 years.

Now, attention turns to the Carabao Cup. Having ousted Port Vale, Brighton and then Crystal Palace on penalties thus far, Mikel Arteta's team will take on Chelsea in the first leg of their semi-final at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

The Gunners have only ever won the League Cup twice, doing so in '87 and '93, beaten in three finals and six semi-finals since the latter. Having been demolished 4-0 by Newcastle on aggregate at this stage a year ago, Arteta is expected to take this two-legged affair ultra-seriously. So, here is why Arsenal's most consistent performer should be in the starting lineup for this London derby.

The under-the-radar star key to Arsenal's success

Squad depth will be key to any success Arsenal achieve this season. At the weekend, Arteta made ten changes at Fratton Park, able to bring in high-quality players such as Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus and hat-trick scorer Martinelli.

In attack, his options are plentiful, although this is not so much the case in defence right now. Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori are both sidelined, while Piero Hincapié suffered a hamstring strain against Liverpool, thereby set to spend a few weeks on the sidelines. Short of numbers, Gabriel partnered Christian Nørgaard against Pompey, before the former was replaced by Marli Salmon, the 16 year old becoming the youngest player to ever represent the club in the FA Cup.

Another player introduced off the bench by the South Coast was Jurriën Timber. While Gabriel and Saliba garner a lot of the headlines, the Dutchman's consistency ever since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament rupture on his Premier League debut has been astonishing. Timber has really stood out this season.

Jurriën Timber's statistics 2025/26

Only David Raya and Martín Zubimendi have played more minutes than Timber this season. On top of that, he is contributing in an attacking sense as well as in possession, while ranking highly for every defensive metric, including first in terms of tackles and aerial duels.

Arguably, Timber has become the best one-vs-one full-back in world football, simply making him undroppable in big games. This skillset will be invaluable against Chelsea's array of wingers.

With Hincapié and Calafiori unavailable, Myles Lewis-Skelly is the obvious choice to get the nod at left-back. However, after the teenager looked nervous against both Liverpool and Pompey, booked on Sunday, Arteta may consider switching Timber over to the left and deploying Benjamin White on the right. Either way, the Dutch defender will be key to the Gunners' success, both in this tie and on a macro level.