Mikel Arteta has told any Arsenal player struggling for first-team minutes that they need to 'train more', with the Gunners boss rejecting excuses about match rhythm.
Arsenal have built one of the deepest squads in European football over recent seasons, with Ezri Konsa, Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis arriving in the summer transfer window. Arteta has a clear first-choice starting XI when everyone is fit, with seven players starting all six Premier League games so far this season.
Rotation in cup competitions
The Gunners boss has rotated his side in the Carabao Cup and the Champions League. He changed his team midweek against Lille, with Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyokeres starting but failing to take their chances and being replaced midway through the second half.
A demanding season across four competitions will force Arteta's hand as the campaign progresses, but he has warned he does not accept any excuses over performance levels this term.
'I hate excuses'
After it was suggested those midweek performances could have been down to a lack of rhythm and limited game time, Arteta fired back on Friday: "They need to train more then. What I don't want is an excuse.
"No but when I play I lack rhythm'. Yeah? So what do we do then? We send you on holidays? So you play, you have to be available. When you don't play, you have to make sure that you do everything you can to impact the team. Because otherwise the other ones that are playing, 'I don't perform because I'm tired'.
"So then it's always an excuse. I hate excuses. We know the role. We know that the competitiveness that we need in the team is at the maximum level and they are doing amazingly well.
"I don't see any player that is playing that lacks rhythm or lacks this. Everybody is involved.
"Everybody has played minutes and it will continue to be like this because they have really deserved that. So hopefully we can maintain that because it's a massive asset for us."
