What Arsenal want Mikel Arteta to do better this season – it’s not working

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Arsenal’s start to the 2024/25 campaign has not gone as planned as the Gunners continue to drop points.

Arsenal drew 1-1 with Fulham on matchday 15 of the Premier League season, recording the seventh instance that Mikel Arteta’s side dropped points this term.

From 15 games, the Gunners have won only eight times, drawing five and losing two to sit six points and a game in hand below league leaders Liverpool. 

Considering the hope that was placed in Arsenal leading up to the 2024/25 calendar, it’s fair to say that the North Londoners have underperformed thus far. 

What Arsenal know they must improve 

When Arsenal were up against it at Craven Cottage, Arteta looked to his bench for inspiration, bringing on senior attacking options such as Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.

Martinelli was slammed for being offside against Fulham, a careless passage of play that denied the Gunners three points late in the London derby. 

Arteta hasn’t shown great faith in those around the favoured XI this season, which is fair when realising that Arsenal have scored only four goals from the bench this term. 

While the statistic proves why the manager has his favourites, that’s not the plan that the club’s hierarchy has behind the scenes in order to fight for silverware.

The Mirror recently detailed the internal feeling happening at Arsenal regarding the usage of fringe players and understanding the importance of doing so. 

The report stated that there’s a ‘feeling’ that the Gunners ‘will need to maximise’ using their full squad more often if ‘they are to make a success’ of the 2024/25 campaign.

When reviewing what Arteta’s squad players are currently offering, it must be questioned whether the Spaniard is on track to deliver what the club want from the season.

Squad depth challenge is not working for Mikel Arteta

In the summer, it was clear that Arsenal needed at least one attacker to bolster the depth and competition within the squad.

Instead, a single attacker was signed as Edu Gaspar acquired Raheem Sterling on a season-long loan from Chelsea. 

Already, it’s clear that Arteta does not trust Sterling, with the winger rarely called upon to influence a game despite possessing a luxurious knowledge of the Premier League. 

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	14	11	2	1	29	11	18	35
2	ChelseaChelsea	15	9	4	2	35	18	17	31
3	ArsenalArsenal	15	8	5	2	29	15	14	29
4	Man CityManchester City	15	8	3	4	27	21	6	27

While on one hand, Arteta has reservations about Sterling, there’s an alternative view regarding Arsenal’s depth being that it’s simply not good enough in other areas. 

Despite understanding that his starting spot can be stolen by Leandro Trossard, Martinelli has failed to impress Arsenal fans with his performances on the left side this term.

Moving on to Martinelli’s competitor, Trossard’s output in front of goal has been far from good enough, posing the question as to whether Arteta can win Arsenal the title with the lack of quality beyond the starting XI. 

It’s a dilemma for the club who want the manager to utilise his squad where possible but, equally do not have the quality available to make a difference.