I kind of covered off my views on the squad Arteta took out to PSV yesterday, so I’ll just mostly bust some myths this afternoon because there’s a section of the fanbase that will happily double down on how Arteta manages his squads, then act shocked when our players crash later in the season.
That game meant nothing.
It was deader than dead. No one could move up or down in the group. It wasn’t even a friendly that had purpose. We earned the privilege of leaving players at home and didn’t take it.
‘Match sharpness needed’
We’ve played 25 games so far this season if you count the Charity Shield. Anyone who works in elite-level fitness in football will tell you it generally takes about 10 games to get to peak fitness. Our squad is match-sharp. We’re top three in the Premier League and we just topped our Champions League group. You do not lose match sharpness in 8 days. 2 weeks" Maybe. But 8 days, it’s not happening. Arteta did not take everyone as a sharpness excercise. You also don’t chase match sharpness in your busiest month. The job of performance teams during this period is to ensure players aren’t overcooked, especially in a season that has seen way more injuries than normal.
‘Every manager plays his best players’
Statistically, no one played with a more stable starting 11 than Arsenal last season. Manchester City had the second least stable starting 11 last season, and they won the tre...