Pundit baffled by Arteta’s refusal to rotate ahead of Man City clash

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·18 septembre 2025

Pundit baffled by Arteta’s refusal to rotate ahead of Man City clash

Mikel Arteta opted to name a strong line-up against Athletic Club.

Except for Martin Ødegaard, he fielded the same XI that started against Nottingham Forest.

Vidéos OneFootball

While starting his strongest side is not necessarily a problem, some felt it was not needed. Many believed this was the kind of fixture where he could have rotated, an opportunity to showcase the depth of his squad.

With expectations high that Arteta would flex his summer signings, some anticipated full debuts for Christian Norgaard, Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Piero Hincapié. But that was not the case.

Reaction to Arsenal Going Full Strength

Paul Robinson was among those surprised by Arteta’s selection.

“I’ll be honest, I was surprised when I saw his team selection before this game with that in mind,” the former Tottenham man told the Football Daily podcast, as reported by the BBC.

“Mikel Arteta has shown tonight that he is literally taking one game at a time, because if he’s looking towards Sunday as a huge pivotal game, I’m not so sure that starting XI would be exactly the same.

“I expected one or two tweaks in that tonight. He went full tilt.”

Going strong did not entirely pay off. It was the substitutes, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, who combined to win the game for Arsenal.

Trossard & Martinelli (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Creating On-Field Relationships

Even so, with the depth Arteta now has following a busy summer window, it is likely he is trying to settle on his strongest XI. And that only comes with time, as players build chemistry and understand each other’s movements.

Having named near-identical line-ups against Forest and Athletic, the Spaniard now has a clearer idea of who he can trust against Manchester City, and who he cannot.

Following their narrow defeat to Liverpool, Arsenal cannot afford another loss to a direct title rival.

Gooners will be hoping Arteta goes full tilt again this time for a famous Emirates win.

What are your thoughts ahead of Sunday’s game? What would you do differently?

Daniel O

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