Arsenal showcase their brilliant defensive depth against Man United

Arsenal opened their 2025/26 Premier League campaign with a slender 1-0 victory at Manchester United on Sunday afternoon and one of the things that shined through was their brilliant depth in defence.

Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White started at full back while Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba were the familiar faces in the centre of the backline. However, that wasn't all of the Gunners' defensive strength used up as Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly were introduced as second-half substitutes while new signing Cristhian Mosquera was another option on the bench.

Mikel Arteta has often been mocked for how many defenders he has brought to north London, but his usage of his players at Old Trafford showed how useful having more than one set of quality options can be.

Arsenal showcase their brilliant defensive depth against Man United

Many fans were surprised to see Calafiori and White named in the starting lineup at Old Trafford with Timber and Lewis-Skelly tipped to be the first-choice full back pairing ahead of the season.

Both players impressed however, with White making some good runs down the right flank and Calafiori scoring what proved to be the winning goal. However, when both started to look a bit tired, Arteta had two more quality options to turn to and bring off the bench. Lewis-Skelly and Timber both came on and helped their team to victory.

While the overall team performance against United wasn't particularly impressive, Arsenal showed that they have what is needed to help them compete this season. Defensive depth.

In a campaign that could potentially stretch to 50-60 matches, you can't always rely on certain players to stay fit throughout the entirety of the term and the Gunners proved that they are prepared for that.

Calafiori and White won't be the starters in every game and neither will Lewis-Skelly or Timber, but multiple options is what is needed for a team that is looking to win trophies. Especially multiple options of similar quality and incredible versatility that won't bring down the overall ability of the team.

Those options can be called upon to step in to start matches or be brought into games when initial starters are looking off the pace. Either way, the team's quality would not be affected.

Of course, having multiple defenders won't win you titles and trophies, but it will certainly help. Arsenal have been hindered by injuries to their backline in previous title races, but now look prepared to combat any potential bumps in the road.

Not many teams can boast multiple top-class full back options that also operate as versatile options, but the Gunners can. Arsenal showed off their brilliant defensive depth at Old Trafford and proved that they are ready to fight anything that could affect their title hopes.

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