Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made an unpopular decision during Tuesday evening’s clash with PSV Eindhoven.
Arsenal went into this match with their passage to the knockout rounds of the competition as group winners already secured. As such, Mikel Arteta named a heavily rotated starting XI.
On top of the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Cedric Soares, Mohamed Elneny, and Reiss Nelson, amongst others, being given the nod to start, a number of the Gunners’ most promising youth prospects were taken along on the trip to the Netherlands.
Three Hale End academy starlets, Ethan Nwaneri, Reuell Walters, and Lino Sousa, were named on the bench. Considering the low stakes of the fixture, all three of the teenagers will have thought they stood a great chance of getting some game time for the senior side.
Before the match, Arteta discussed the importance of handing young players chances to test themselves at the highest level. As quoted by the club’s official website, he said, “you have to find and build the space in the squad to give that talent an opportunity. We should not forget that because it’s a big part of what we want to do in the future. And especially when you have it, you cannot let it go.”
Arteta even likened 16-year-old sensation Nwaneri to former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere.
Why Mikel Arteta did not turn to any Hale End academy talents v PSV
However, as things played out, none of this promising trio made it onto the pitch against PSV. Arteta’s decision to keep the youth prospects on the bench in a meaningless match certainly upset plenty of Arsenal fans.
The Spanish coach did use all five of the substitutes available to him, bringing established first team stars onto the field over the course of the second half. Declan Rice, Ben White, Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe, and Gabriel Jesus all made it onto the pitch.
Aside from missing out on the excitement of seeing youth team aces in action, many supporters will have wanted these key first team stars to get a full rest.
However, Arteta had good reasons to make the changes he did. First of all, despite the result not being of great importance in any tangible sense, he will still have been desperate to get a victory. Part of instilling a winning mentality at a club is ensuring that winning is always the main objective, without exception. What’s more, momentum is an important thing in football, and having lost to Aston Villa last time out, Arteta will have been keen to avoid consecutive defeats.
On top of that, Arteta was able to learn important lessons about his team in this match. For instance, he trialled Rice as a centre-back. He admitted after the match that this was because the Gunners are currently light on defensive options. Arteta will now feel more secure about calling on the former West Ham man to fill in in the heart of the rearguard, if required.
Other regular starters will have benefitted from their brief runout against PSV, as it will have kept their sharpness levels up.
The time for Nwaneri, Walters, and Sousa will surely come. This match was not the right moment to bring them into the fray.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
