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From RAF pilots to training ground noise, Mikel Arteta is a man for whom the small details are key. So, while there are obvious positives to take away from Arsenal’s win over West Ham United, it may be a less noticeable detail that delighted the Spaniard in his 300th game in charge.
Goals on the day from key men Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka wrapped up a 2-0 victory that was routine for a team of Arsenal’s quality, but while wins such as this are the bare minimum for a club challenging for the Premier League title, the manner of the performance will have pleased Arteta.
We have long known that Arsenal’s starting 11 is capable of challenging any team at any time, but what was immediately apparent at the final whistle at the Emirates was that after years of development and a summer of investment, the Gunners seem to finally have a squad in which 18 or more players can drop in and out without a noticeable change in quality, style or tempo.
Arteta will no doubt be worried about the immediate availability of captain and key midfielder Martin Odegaard – a knock to the knee making him the first player in Premier League history to be substituted before half time in three consecutive Premier League starts – though he will be delighted at the fact that there was no difference in quality or rhythm once the Norwegian was replaced by Martin Zubimendi.
The Gunners had dominated possession with Odegaard on the pitch, Eberechi Eze going close as he fired over the bar from seven yards, but the introduction of Zubimendi brought more impressive attacking football.
The Spaniard slotted straight into position and played a key part in the hosts’ opening goal, threading a perfect through ball from the edge of the box to fellow new star Eze, who saw his shot saved before Rice tucked away the rebound against his old club.
While Zubimendi spent much of the game in deeper positions, instead allowing Rice to play more advanced, the fact that the midfield three were so easily able to change roles in the middle of the match was encouraging. Of course, you would expect that from professional footballers; however, the fact that it didn’t derail the performance, instead improving it, suggests that the Gunners may finally have overcome the squad depth troubles that have befallen them in previous seasons.
Odegaard has previously been replaced by more attacking players when injured or unavailable, though Arteta later explained that he chose Zubimendi due to “the way they [West Ham] were matching our midfield”, adding that the ability to call on such depth is “critical”.
That may be an understatement from the Spaniard, with his side potentially playing 60 matches if they want to advance to the latter stages of the main competitions in 2025-26.
While the last few seasons have been characterised by rivals being able to rest and rotate hundreds of millions of pounds worth of personnel, Arsenal have now joined that prestigious group. In fact, Arteta named in excess of £160m worth of talent on the bench ahead of kick-off, including summer signings Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard and Zubimendi.
This sudden squad depth is not all bought, of course. The introduction of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly in the 75th minute showed that the Gunners are not just big spenders. In fact, their academy production line remains one of the best in the country, as we were reminded when Saka finished the game as a contest with a brilliantly taken penalty on his 200th Premier League appearance.
Further introductions included Gabriel Martinelli – who scored key goals against Manchester City and Athletic Bilbao – and midfielder turned makeshift striker Mikel Merino, who himself has chipped in with key goals at times.
With each new player brought on, the hosts continued to threaten while remaining mostly untroubled in defence. A total of 16 players were used and in most cases, you’d have barely noticed a difference in Arsenal’s game, perhaps with the exception of Martinelli’s more direct threat.
While the withdrawal of Rice – as well as problems with Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke – are a reminder that injuries are still an issue, Saturday’s performance suggests that this is nothing like the Arsenal side that toiled for so much of last season with Odegaard and Saka out. Indeed, the Gunners could well enjoy a title-challenging season that isn’t derailed by injuries for the first time.
While injuries alone don’t tell the whole story of Arsenal’s successive second-place Premier League finishes, it does seem like this squad has an ideal balance of exciting new arrivals, settled stars and a raft of talented players who are happy to play more of a rotational role – and all this while playing just as well, if not better.
Whether this blend can deliver the trophies that the Emirates so craves remains to be seen. However, there is a feeling that this could be Arsenal’s best chance yet, and the Gunners may have turned a key corner in their bid for a first Premier League title since 2004.
