Arsenal’s Monster Team is no Frankenstein | OneFootball

What Mikel Arteta has assembled at Arsenal is by far the strongest side during his six years in charge. It has been a long-term project ever since the Spaniard started gutting the north Londoners and rebuilding the squad from scratch.

Year by year the quality of players have greatly improved, but they struggled to keep up with the squad depth that the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City boasted as they both overcame the Gunners’ threats to win the Premier League title. However, under the tutelage of Arteta and Sporting Director Andrea Berta, this summer’s intense recruitment drive has left the 43-year-old with the ability to all but rotate his entire starting eleven in cup competitions. 

This depth was seen in Arsenal’s 2-0 Carabao Cup victory against Brighton & Hove Albion midweek, when ten of the eleven players from the 1-0 League win over Crystal Palace were changed. Eberechi Eze was the only survivor.

Gunning for the Promoted

The Gunners have won 23 of their last 24 Premier League games against promoted sides, including the last 13 in a row. The only exception in this run was a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in May 2023. So why would Arteta be expected to approach this Saturday match at Burnley any differently?

Well, for perhaps the first time as the Gunners boss, Arteta is facing a challenge to keep his expanded squad happy at all times. The Spaniard acknowledged this perdicament in his pre-game interview:

“It’s an education that you probably get since you are young and you decide to play football,” Arteta explained. “You know that there are 11 players playing and then another ten or 12 are not going to start again.

“It doesn’t mean they’re not going to be important for the team. So, hopefully, that’s an education that all of us got with the right coaches very early in our careers. If I have to do that right now, obviously, it will be difficult and just try to do it with an open heart, understanding that you care about them and you want the best, and they will have their moments. 

“And then, try to be as fair as possible when you see certain behaviours and that willingness to play gives them, obviously, the opportunity to play.”

Defensive Options

Arsenal’s defensive options are something to marvel at. The likes of Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie, high-profile starters at Valencia and Bayer Leverkusen last season, are now the understudies to mainstays Gabriel and William Saliba. The Gunners now can boast at least two players per position when all fit and available. It also justifies the decision to sign eight players in the summer transfer window after the existing absence of Gabriel Jesus and early losses of Noni Madueke, Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz to injury.

A Comfortable Fixture, Historically

Turf Moor has been a happy hunting ground for Arsenal, who are unbeaten in their last 11 away league games against Burnley (W6, D5) since a 2-1 loss in December 1973 under Bertie Mee. Head coach Scott Parker was full of praise for his counterpart Arteta, ahead of his side’s attempt to halt the Gunners juggernaut.

“This is a well-oiled team and a functional team that are very fluid in the way they play, really,” Parker said.

“Defensively, they have a really solid foundation. It was probably something we lived by last year, really. It gives you a bedrock and they’ve certainly formed that. This is a top, top team and a well-coached one too.”