In many ways, this is a pivotal season for Mikel Arteta’s “project” at Arsenal. The board and the fans stuck by the Spanish manager for a few seasons as he cautioned for patience. And, as we know, the fruits of Arteta’s labour started to show last season when Arsenal almost went all the way in the Premier League. Arteta has been backed financially to take the next step, with the Gunners being one of the top spenders in Europe over the summer. But now there is expectation around the club. Finishing in the Top 4 in the Premier League, for example, will be deemed a failure should Arsenal not at least push the eventual winners all the way again.
The Premier League will always be tough, of course, given the dominance of Manchester City. But it is in the Champions League where Arsenal’s mettle looks like it will be truly tested. The club has not been in Europe’s premier competition for six seasons. Arsene Wenger was in charge for the last Champions League campaign, managing an Arsenal squad that featured Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain – it feels like a lifetime ago.
Goals spread out across the team
Very few of those players remain in Arsenal’s squad, but the good news is that it seems Mike Arteta has created a team capable of challenging on several fronts. Arsenal have a strong squad in more ways than one. Arteta has been astute in the way he uses his personnel. There are some guaranteed starters, sure, but the spreading out of game time by Arteta was intriguing last season. No other team in the Premier League had more than one player in the top 10 goal scorer charts last season – Arsenal had three (Odegaard, Martinelli, Saka).
Arsenal are fifth-favourites in the Champions League betting for the new season. That’s understandable, given the team has not been tested in the competition for several years. But the key to Arteta’s hopes will be balancing the demands of the Premier League with the Champions League, as well as ambitions in the domestic cups. But he has suitable backup for almost every position on the pitch, and that’s what will stand the Gunners in good stead over the next nine months.
Indeed, if we are to cite any example of Arteta’s ambition, it would be the pursuit of David Raya. Some pundits are scratching their heads at the signing of an elite goalkeeper when Aaron Ramsdale is already in that position, but that is the Arteta way. All over the pitch, Arsenal have elite players that are not guaranteed to start. This is borne out in the manager’s use of substitutions. Arteta does not think of them as substitutions but as “impactors” (his words).
Players can play in multiple positions
It’s perhaps even more interesting to see that Arsenal have such a wide range of players who can play in several positions. New signings Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz can play in several positions, and they join others – Ben White, Leandro Trossard, Thomas Partey, Takehiro Tomiyasu – who can play across multiple positions when called upon. This is no happy accident. Arteta sees this as part of his game plan.
None of this means that Arsenal will win the Champions League. As mentioned, they are fifth favourites and a long way behind Manchester City in the betting odds. But Arteta has built a squad that can easily cope with the demands of flourishing on multiple fronts. He can put a strong team out on a Wednesday night and repeat that on a Saturday with a few changes with greater ease than, say, Manchester United. The players seem to have bought into the “impactor” cultute, and it’s likely to serve Arsenal well as they resume Champions League action for the first time in six years.
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