Managing a successful European campaign can be as much about the judicious use of a squad than anything else – particularly in the Europa League.
The Thursday-to-Sunday schedule is a notoriously tricky one to negotiate and made all the tougher by some of the fixtures in far-flung corners of Europe that require a lot of time and energy-sapping travel.
Matters are made all the more complicated this season by the extraordinarily compacted nature of our fixtures, with some nine games to traverse in October.
It’s hard enough keeping a core of players fit for one or two games a week so the prospect of three matches a week for the next month is one not many will relish, even if it allows for pretty non-stop entertainment for fans.
It will vital, therefore, that Mikel Arteta is able to call upon those players on the fringes of the first-team squad, those who may not start in the biggest games but are the first called upon to deputise in times of injury or loss of form.
Happily, we are a bigger squad than we were last season and that will afford us some wiggle room in terms of personnel but it’s fair to say we are still not blessed with the sorts of depth enjoyed by teams like Manchester City and Chelsea.
That said, I would still expect to see a fair number of changes for this Thursday’s clash with Bodo/Glimt, if not quite wholesale. After all, Bodo are no mugs.
We can expect the likes of Kieran Tierney, Eddie Nketiah, Matt Turner and Rob Holding to start, with appearances from Fabio Vieira, Sambi Lokonga and Marquinhos also likely. They did an excellent job in Switzerland against FC Zurich and more of the same will be required if we’re to keep our momentum going.
A certain level of performance has been established by the manager now and it will be beholden upon those coming in to see that it is maintained. For the benefit of the team this season, they will need to be able to step in at short notice and maintain the levels that have, thus far, kept us at the top of the Premier League table.
It was not so long ago that these early European fixtures would be the preserve of a much more callow-looking Arsenal line-up but a shift in culture and a much more competitive squad setup means that is unlikely to be the case now. Performance levels are all-important and it is worth bearing in mind also that the level of opposition in these competition is, frankly, better.
Gone are the days of 5-0 walkovers in the early stages of European competition. Just as in the Premier League, the standard is much higher across the spectrum now.
That said, we have to be looking at this fixture as an opportunity to put more points on the board. For all their pluck, Bodo are not peak Barcelona and the players must view this fixture as an opportunity to maintain the momentum of the squad as a whole and, from a selfish perspective, improve their fitness, form and prospects.
Competition in a winning squad is no bad thing and if the success of the first XI can motivate and inspire those currently on the fringes, so much the better.
First and foremost, though, comes the need to win. Whoever takes to the pitch must be acutely aware that there is a job to done and done well. October is a fiendishly busy period and there will be plenty of minutes to go around. Let’s hope the whole squad can play a part in making this a month to remember.
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