Arsenal: Mikel Arteta reaps rewards of transfer outlay as improved depth boosts title hopes | OneFootball

The Gunners spent cleverly to patch one of last season’s key issues

Your matchday briefing on Arsenal, featuring team news and expert analysis from Simon Collings

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An injury-hit Arsenal fell narrowly short in the Champions League last season, outplayed across two legs by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.

Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard started 77 games between them in all competitions last season, but have seen their minutes limited following the arrivals of Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke.

The pair served a timely reminder of their quality against Athletic Club, coming off the bench to score and assist as Arsenal sealed a late victory in the Basque Country.

Martinelli, who has been left out in the cold following the arrival of Eze from Crystal Palace, took just 36 seconds to make his imprint on the game.

Trossard, meanwhile, continued to prove his worth as a consistent source of goals in an Arsenal attack still finding their feet, and Arteta spoke at full-time about the importance of ‘finishers’ impacting the game from the bench.

On target: Gabriel Martinelli

REUTERS

“They (substitutes) are at least equally important, and maybe more important, in that stage of games,” Arteta said.

"It's always very difficult emotionally to leave players out. I know how much they want to play in this competition and what it means to them.

"And every time you give the lineup, you're disappointing a lot of players.”

With Eze struggling to impact the game from the left wing, Martinelli took his chance, suggesting he’s a more natural fit out wide than Eze, who was restricted from coming centrally to pick up the ball.

It is a nice selection headache for Arteta to have, after Eze impressed on his full Arsenal debut against Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

Arsenal have options across the pitch - Arteta wanted two players per position to compete for minutes.

Cristhian Mosquera continued to impress in place of William Saliba at centre-back. The 21-year-old, on his Champions League debut, looked assured in a testing atmosphere at Estadio de San Mames.

Formidable: Cristhian Mosquera impressed on debut

REUTERS

Mosquera has been thrown in at the deep end as Saliba works his way back from an ankle injury, but hasn’t looked out of place and appears to be a smart piece of business at just £13million.

Jurrien Timber is another player who has benefited from a spree of early injuries in defence for Arsenal.

The Dutchman, starting in place of Ben White, has made the right back spot his own, providing support for Madueke in attack with an aggressive performance against Athletic Club.

Timber’s performances leave White, formerly a mainstay under Arteta, unsure of his place in the side but for a team with ambitions as high as Arsenal’s, that can only be a good thing.

Keeping everyone happy will be a task, Arteta admits, but with so many games packed into an ever-expanding schedule, opportunities will present themselves.

Despite Arteta maintaining that he needs a fully fit squad to compete for the Champions League this season, there can be few excuses for not challenging for Europe’s premier cup competition, given the abundance of attacking riches he can call upon from the bench.

Arsenal count themselves among the favourites for the Champions League, and they showed in Bilbao on Tuesday night that their squad has the depth to manage the intensity of a campaign in which they will fight on four fronts.