Arsenal Minim Rotation, Mikel Arteta Accused Of Not Trusting In Own Players

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is accused of not believing in all of his players. (X/@Arsenal)

JAKARTA - Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, rarely rotates players. This raises rumors that Arteta does not fully trust all players.

Arteta only relies on that player. He rarely overhauled the squad despite facing a game on a busy schedule.

He was accused of not believing in the players themselves. This was seen when Arsenal lost 0-1 against Porto in the first leg of the last 16 of the 2023/2024 Champions League.

Appearing at home to the opponent, the Gunners were unable to release a single shot into the net. Arsenal's goal then conceded via a long-range shot when the game was about to end.

Arsenal went home empty-handed. Their move to the quarter-finals was even tougher because they had to win at least 2-0 to get rid of Porto. On the other hand, Porto only needed a draw to qualify for the next round.

In that match, Arteta did not make a substitution even though the team experienced a deadlock. Only Leandro Trossard came out to be replaced by Jorginho in the second half.

Arteta doesn't seem to have the courage to rely on other players or trust players who enter the starting line-up more than those on the bench.

In comparison, Liverpool carried out 215 reshuffles for starting line-up for 39 matches in various events this season. Then, Manchester City overhauled the squad 160 times.

On the other hand, Arteta has only made 99 reshuffles to the squad during 36 games. This shows that he only believes in the starting players.

"I discussed the matter of substitutes. Mikel Arteta uses them not as much as Man City and Liverpool," said pundit Chris totaler who is also a former England national team striker.

"Liverpool is faced with many injured players, but that condition can be resolved because of the trust in the players in the squad," saidmen.

"From that probability, to be honest Arteta does not explicitly believe in all the players. This is what makes him move to look for players in the summer window to strengthen the squad," said the former forward Newcastle United and Chelsea.

Arteta himself criticized less aggressive players, especially at the front, when facing Porto. He also admitted that he was angry and frustrated by the violations committed by Porto players.

"I will not judge Arsenal's performance in just one defeat against Porto. However, Porto did play brilliantly. You can see them play according to the game design. It's just that, it doesn't mean Arsenal can't qualify," saidvillage.

Arsenal played the second leg by hosting Porto at the Emirates Stadium on March 13, 2024 in the morning WIB. Previously, this North London club would return to fight in the 2023/2024 Premier League against Newcastle, Sunday, February 25, 2024, early morning WIB.