Mikel Arteta faces a problem at Arsenal he’s never had before, and it cost him vs Nottingham Forest

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For all the talk about Arsenal’s impressive squad depth, it could now be causing Mikel Arteta an issue as he attempts to appease all his players.

Over the summer, Andrea Berta did brilliant work improving the quality in depth at Arsenal, with Arteta now boasting one of Europe’s finest squads.

However, during the past couple of weeks, there has been much talk amongst supporters and the media about who is and isn’t playing for Arsenal.

For example, Eberechi Eze’s limited minutes have been a topic of discussion, with Arteta even having to address the situation in the media.

Then, over the weekend, away at Nottingham Forest, Bukayo Saka was left on the bench as the Gunners missed the chance to go nine points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta is starting to overthink Arsenal’s rotation

Right now, it feels like Mikel Arteta is starting to overthink how he rotates his options at Arsenal and is putting more energy into worrying about keeping everyone happy.

His decision to start Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli in a crucial Premier League game ended up costing the team as the pair struggled.

Leandro Trossard and Saka, two of Arsenal’s best players this season, were left on the bench and just didn’t have enough time to make an impact on the game.

In the first 45 minutes at City Ground, Arsenal had eight shots at goal, none of which were on target as Arteta’s team selection backfired.

It just feels like the Spanish manager is spending more time on selecting his bench than he is considering the dynamics of his starting 11.

Is it time to drop Viktor Gyokeres, if so, who comes in?

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Given his plethora of attacking options, Arteta has also been afforded the luxury of not having to rush players back from injury.

But in the case of Kai Havertz, it seems to be hurting Arsenal, as he has impressed on most occasions since his return from injury.

Given that he has Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres available to him, he can slowly reintegrate the German attacker. But persisting with Gyokeres over Havertz just seems to be to the detriment of the team.

It’s a tough situation for Arteta, but also a welcome one, and he just needs to be more pointed when picking his best 11 for each game.

Mikel Arteta must use Eberechi Eze at left wing

Arteta must start using Eze at left wing more often, and avoid the temptation of using him as just a rotation option for Martin Odegaard.

Ethan Nwaneri showed he’s good enough against Portsmouth to play in the number ten role, and this should allow Eze to play on the left.

The 27-year-old really impressed at left wing during the reverse fixture against Forest as the Gunners won 3-0, and it’s time to play him over Martinelli.