Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta caused frustration recently, as he did not give opportunities to any youth players in a dead rubber game in the Champions League.
Arsenal had already won their group when they headed to PSV Eindhoven for their final Champions League game, and youngsters Reuell Walters, Lino Sousa and Ethan Nwaneri were among the substitutes.
Many fans expected at least one of the youth stars to make their debut in the competition, and potentially gain some valuable first-team experience, but first-team players including Ben White, who has been carrying an injury for two months, came off the bench instead to much annoyance.
With Arsenal now back in a cup competition, as they prepare to host Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday, there may be some fans expecting some level of rotation and even some youth debuts. However, Arteta’s decisions in the PSV game have dropped a huge hint on his possible team selection against Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Arsenal unlikely to use youngsters in FA Cup
Given that the youth stars, who are the brightest prospects within the academy right now, could not appear for even a minute in what was a meaningless game against PSV, there is little expectation that they could feature in Sunday’s clash with Liverpool.
The FA Cup has traditionally been a chance for Arsenal’s best youth players to gain some level of first-team experience, even off the bench, but there seems to be little chance that any of the best young talents right now will appear.
Arsenal have a two-week break after the tie, and will likely play a strong team as they aim to get back to winning ways after back-to-back defeats.
With White playing through injury, Walters perhaps has the best chance of featuring, as the defender could be very useful given Arsenal’s injuries in the back line.
Arsenal’s youngsters are victims of Arteta’s success
Arteta has helped the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli develop into first-team stars, but when they broke through, the Arsenal team was severely lacking in quality.
Now, Arsenal have a deeper squad, and are competing in the Champions League and the top end of the Premier League. As a result, it is tougher for youth products to break into the first team, as they face more pressure and are competing with a higher calibre of player to break in.
Few will begrudge Arteta for selecting a strong side against Liverpool, but this does further highlight how much of a missed opportunity the PSV trip was to give some of the academy talent their first team debuts and place them in an environment where they could play at a high level with no pressure on the result, as Arsenal drew 1-1 on the night.
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