Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta are about to enter a make-or-break stretch early in the season, headlined by a run of high-pressure fixtures that could shape their campaign. Consecutive matches against Tottenham, Atalanta, and Manchester City, all inside seven days, mean tests of squad depth and tactical flexibility lie in wait for Mikel Arteta, who has injury and suspension taking out important faces like Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.
Arsenal Midfield Crisis
This is going to be a big test for the Arsenal midfield over this period. In the likely absence of an injured Martin Odegaard, Mikel Arteta finds himself in a scramble to fill some key positions for two of Arsenal’s essential starters: With Declan Rice suspended, how important Rice is as a destroyer and Odegaard as the brain behind Arsenal’s attack all of a sudden becomes more fitting in their absences. Both these guys have hardly seen minutes since their arrival and would make Mikel Arteta rework.
Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz may be the likely ones to fill in the gaps, but Havertz’s redeployment from a striking role may dilute the Arsenal attack. Havertz has become an important contributor, especially in major games like last season’s win against Spurs. Mikel Arteta might well have to adjust his 4-3-3 or even revert to a 4-2-3-1 with the deployment of Thomas Partey alongside another midfielder to give stability to the team.
Rotation and Team Depth
Mikel Arteta’s reluctance to make many changes last season resulted in them having many jaded personnel available for the business end of the campaign. The value of squad rotation is further enhanced considering fixture congestion this time around. Summer signings have undoubtedly improved Arsenal’s depth, though injuries have somewhat hampered that again. Options are there in Riccardo Calafiori and Raheem Sterling, but Mikel Arteta must balance freshness and form to get through these critical games.
Rotation will be of particular importance, with an upcoming Champions League game against Atalanta. Arsenal were hugely reliant on a few players last season-most recorded way above 2,900 minutes on the whereas City distributed the playing time fairly equally. Mikel Arteta will have to avoid falling into that same trap if they are to stay in the race for domestic and European competition.
The Importance of City Clash
The game against Manchester City could pretty well define the ambitions of the Gunners regarding a Premier League title, given the Blues are already setting the pace in the league. Dropping points could see Arsenal falling off considerably early in the race. It comes off the back of their Champions League opener against Atalanta, with little recovery time for the side of Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal just have to be pragmatic here. An EC setback is fixable with eight matches in the league phase of the Champions League, but they have only two Premier League matches with City in which to make up that shortfall. A goalless draw at Etihad last season proved very costly for Arsenal in the title race as the Gunners missed out on the league title. Mikel Arteta can ill afford the same this season.
Conclusion
The next seven days will surely test the texture of Arsenal’s resilience, squad depth, and tactical flexibility under Mikel Arteta. Up against Spurs, Atalanta, and Manchester City within that timeframe without some big players is a position far from ideal. How he handles those deficiencies could well define the season for the Gunners. With the pressure building in the Premier League title race and simultaneously in the Champions League, every decision is magnified as the campaign reaches a critical early juncture for Arsenal.
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