Arsenal secured a 3-0 win over Lille at the Emirates, yet the laboured nature of the performance before key substitutes were introduced has handed Mikel Arteta a concerning new selection headache.
The result carried little jeopardy under the Champions League's expanded 36-team league phase format, where clubs have eight matches and elimination is difficult. Arteta's team selection reflected that reality, with Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori all named on the bench.
Fringe players fail to seize their chance
For about an hour, Arsenal were alarmingly dull, with execution in the final third nowhere near good enough. The Gunners opened the scoring while Havertz, Saka and Odegaard stood on the touchline waiting to come on, but it was not until their introduction that the team truly got going.
Saka assisted and then scored from a Havertz cutback, while Odegaard dictated play. The zip and flow returned, a welcome sign particularly given Saka's recent run of poor finishing. However, Arsenal did not need further proof that the likes of Saka and Odegaard can deliver decisive moments.
As much as Arteta would like to, he cannot always play them. With Arsenal looking to go deep in all four competitions, he needs to trust his squad. There was little here to suggest the fringe cast can be relied upon when it really matters, on nights with far more riding on it than this.
Gyokeres and Merino fail to impress
Viktor Gyokeres has barely started a match this season, and if this was an audition, he should not be expecting a callback. The same goes for Mikel Merino, though his is a more unique situation.
As one of Arteta's finishers, Merino has repeatedly delivered off the bench. He is calm on the ball and brings real control, particularly when trying to see out a match. He also has a knack of scoring as a substitute, as he did three times for Spain over the international break.
However, as a starter in midfield, the same impact is not there. Merino looked ponderous and too often slowed the Gunners down. He was unusually disappointing in front of goal, nodding a tame header straight at Berke Ozer and later slicing over. Especially in a game where Arsenal are dominating the ball and needing to break down a compact defence, Merino in that Odegaard midfield role does not look effective.
The Spaniard looks far more suited to being a finisher than a starter. Gyokeres, meanwhile, does not look particularly capable of doing either for Arsenal. In the opening 45 minutes, he managed seven touches, none of which were meaningful. As has been a persistent theme, he was incredibly poor at holding the ball up and using his body for a man of his size.
By the time he came off, just after the hour mark, he had registered no shots and just one touch in the opposition's box. Six Arsenal players managed more. There are often calls from some sections of the Arsenal fanbase for the team to play more to his strengths, but it is hard to make a case for what those are.
Eze steps up after changes
Eberechi Eze struggled for much of the night, but he then stepped up when the changes were made. He scored from Saka's cross, as Arsenal's cavalry lifted the standards of those around them. Those stars waiting in reserve were a crutch Arsenal always knew they could lean on. The issue is the team do not look capable of standing up without them.
