Arsenal 'need everybody!' as title race heats up

Arsenal are in the middle of a compressed fixture schedule, and Mikel Arteta knows he needs every player in the squad to be available.

Arsenal's 3-1 win over Brentford moved the Gunners up to second in the Premier League table, and Mikel Arteta's side appears to have turned a corner since the last international break.

But the one thing that has shown it can derail the Gunners is injuries, and this season, they've come thick and fast. With a host of starters out, Arteta has had to shuffle the magnets, especially defensively, as he tries to keep his team within striking distance of Liverpool.

Kai Havertz wasn't available for the Brentford clash due to illness, which meant that youngster Ethan Nwaneri was handed his first start, while fellow Hale Ender Myles Lewis-Skelly continued occupying the left-back role.

Given that games are now coming every three days or so, the Gunners are in a position where they can't afford to have too many more players unavailable. But despite the injuries, Arteta doesn't seem to think the squad is being stretched.

“When I see the willingness of each individual to play through anything and the versatility that we can create within our idea, the answer is no,” Arteta said via arsenal.com. “But we don’t know, if something else happens, then would have more issues but hopefully not, hopefully people are coming back, like Riccy , he was back and other players that are there are in top form as well, we need everybody.”

With the January transfer window open, the Gunners have a chance to strengthen the squad, but as we know, Arteta doesn't make a signing just for the sake of it. There's a plan of attack, and the Spaniard won't simply sign a player to cover for Bukayo Saka, only to have said player relegated to the bench once the England international returns.

We have seen Arsenal pay the ultimate price for not investing in the squad in January, and yes, players are at a premium given clubs don't want to lose key pieces in the middle of the season, but given the Gunners' current position, it might be an avenue worth exploring.

After all, we saw how the team functioned without Martin Odegaard and Saka in the team and if a similar thing were to occur in the final months of the season, it could be catastrophic to their title chances.

Arteta says the squad isn't "stretched" right now, but as we know, just when things seem to be sailing, the football gods tend to intervein in the worst way possible.

Let's hope they stay away.

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