Mikel Arteta will be absolutely delighted that he was able to rotate and still see his Arsenal side progress past Brighton into the League Cup fifth round on Wednesday night.
The Gunners kept their exceptional run going with a 2-0 victory over the Seagulls at the Emirates.
Ethan Nwaneri gave the North Londoners the lead shortly after half-time, before Bukayo Saka doubled the home side’s advantage late on.
Arteta made ten changes to his starting eleven from the team that beat Crystal Palace on Sunday, yet Arsenal were still able to cruise past Fabian Hurzeler’s outfit.
Arsenal’s starting eleven cost less than Brighton’s
Arsenal spent in excess of £250 million in the summer transfer window.
The Gunners invested heavily to ensure Arteta’s squad is stacked with quality options in every position and is able to compete on multiple fronts.
This approach is clearly paying dividends, as Arsenal currently sit top of the Premier League, fourth in the Champions League table and are through to the fifth round of the League Cup.
Arteta was able to rotate heavily against Brighton, who played several first-choice players, and still overcome the south coast side.
Many would still expect a much-changed Arsenal side to beat the Seagulls, although the away team arguably fielded a stronger side than the Gunners.
According to Tom Canton, the eleven Hurzeler selected at the Emirates actually cost more than the eleven that Arteta put out.
The total sum of fees paid for the Brighton starters was around £188 million, compared to £170 million for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta will be over the moon with Brighton victory
Arsenal’s win over Brighton looks a lot more impressive given this context.
The fact that Arteta picked a team that clearly wasn’t as experienced as their opposition, but was still able to weather an early storm, is hugely encouraging.
Andre Harriman-Annous was given a surprise start, while Max Dowman, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri played, all of whom are still 19 or under and emerged through the Hale End academy.
In fact, Eberechi Eze and Ben White aside, this was a team entirely made up of players who cost less than £30 million.
This reflects poorly on Brighton, but clearly indicates that Arteta is still able to deliver when he doesn’t have a talent advantage, perhaps boding well for the latter stages of the Champions League.
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