Arsenal secured progress to the EFL Cup quarter-finals with a 3-0 win against Preston North End on Wednesday night.
Mikel Arteta’s side were utterly dominant at Deepdale Stadium, with Gabriel Jesus, Ethan Nwaneri, and Kai Havertz all getting on the scoresheet.
The Spanish coach was also able to rotate his side for this match, affording rare Arsenal starts to Jorginho, Jakub Kiwior, and Oleksandr Zinchenko. He also handed second half minutes to Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and Thomas Partey to keep them sharp.
Mikel Merino and Jurrien Timber were both withdrawn at half-time to allow for the introductions of Havertz and Partey.
Mikel Arteta makes substitutions admission after Preston vs Arsenal
Arteta has now opened up about his decision to take off Merino and Timber at the break.
As quoted by Football.London, the manager admitted in the wake of this win that the changes were not a spur of the moment decision.
He said: “No, it was planned. We have a lot of issues in the backline. We wanted to share the minutes, because we lost Gabi, we lost Ben as well on top of other players. We wanted to be competitive but we had to make sure that we protected players because we have a lot of big games coming up.”
Arsenal were indeed without Ben White for this game, whilst Gabriel Martinelli looked hurt at one stage but was able to play on for some time.
Meanwhile, Timber will have benefitted from the runout as he is still working his way back to full match fitness. As for Merino, the Spanish midfielder is still building a relationship with his Arsenal teammates and adapting to Arteta’s demands and tactics. He needs minutes on the pitch to settle into the team.
Arsenal rotation will pay off in the Premier League
It is vital that Arteta is able to keep his fringe players engaged with these domestic cup opportunities. The likes of Zinchenko and Jorginho, amongst others, could be required to step into the regular starting XI for a stretch at any point, so it is vital that they remain fit and ready to go.
However, Arteta may change Arsenal’s approach to the EFL Cup now that they are down to the last eight in the competition and Manchester City have been eliminated. This now represents a major opportunity for his side to win a trophy, so he may name stronger starting line-ups going forward.
Arsenal will face Crystal Palace in the next round of the EFL Cup, and will be considered firm favourites for that clash.
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