Alan Shearer says surprising decision Mikel Arteta recently made is why Arsenal are so ‘impressive’

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Mikel Arteta made several changes to his Arsenal team in the Gunners’ win over Nottingham Forest.

The narrative in football changes rapidly, as it was only a couple of weeks ago that Arteta was being heavily criticised for his squad selection against Liverpool. 

The Arsenal manager was slammed for making the decision to start Mikel Merino over Eberechi Eze at Anfield; now, the boss is being applauded for his selection calls. 

Arteta surprised many when he named his starting XI to play Nottingham Forest, leaving Declan Rice on the bench to instead start Merino for the second consecutive game in midfield. 

• READ MORE: Arsenal player told he’s ‘worth an empire’ after what he did vs Nottingham Forest

Alan Shearer says Declan Rice decision shows how impressive Arsenal are

It’s been a week of having the last laugh for Arteta, who, after having his decision to start Merino described as conservative, watched the midfielder score four goals on international duty.

That being said, it’s not only Merino’s form that was a positive when seeing the Spaniard start against Forest, but also the statement it sent to the league.

Alan Shearer said on The Rest Is Football podcast that being able to leave Rice out of the starting XI only showcased how strong Arsenal’s squad depth is right now. 

“Even with him affording to leave Declan Rice out on the bench tells you how impressive they are in almost every position,” Shearer said.

Arsenal fielded a starting line-up without Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Rice and were as comfortable as ever, a prospect that would’ve induced nightmares last season.

The Gunners have come a long way since last term, with Arteta having so much quality in his squad to play with, something many teams will envy.

Even Liverpool can’t compete with Arsenal’s squad depth

If one thing is going to win Arsenal the Premier League this season, it’s the depth of Arteta’s squad.

A lot of talk was had about Liverpool’s summer transfer window, as the reigning champions splurged almost £450m on talent, but their squad depth didn’t necessarily improve.

The calibre of Arne Slot’s signings were beyond belief, but again, outside of the starting XI, the gap between first and second choice is visible.

Arsenal, on the other hand, have quality options in every position, something that might just give the Gunners the upper hand in the title race.