Emmanuel Petit has claimed that only four players are doing a ‘really great job’ at Arsenal, and we would suffer if we lost any of them.
The Gunners gave up the lead against Southampton at the weekend to see an eight-game winning streak come to an end.
While Petit believes that was a fair result, he added that he can see us struggling if we lose one of four key players.
‘I thought the first-half was great from Arsenal; the way they played, their energy, their movement. I’m not saying they could have sealed the game but they could have easily scored one or two more goals,’ Petit is quoted by the Metro as claiming.
‘My only concern was that physically the team struggled in the second-half, and I think that’s linked with the depth of the squad, or the lack thereof.
‘Southampton came out very well in the second-half so you’ve got to give them credit for the character and fight they showed, and ultimately I’d say they deserved at least a point.
‘Leaving St Mary’s with a point isn’t a bad result; you haven’t lost the game and you’re still top of the table. It’s a great starting eleven Mikel [Arteta] has assembled, but I worry about what happens if one of those players gets injured.
‘That’s a big concern for me; that lack of depth. You could see again yesterday, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard are all doing a really great job. But it’s only those four; if one of them gets injured, what options does Mikel Arteta have?’
Without Emile Smith Rowe available, we definitely are lacking depth in our forward roles, and while Fabio Vieira has shown glimpses of ability, he hasn’t shown enough to be considered in that bracket just yet.
We may have to have another look at our options in January after failing to replace Nicolas Pepe in August before the window closed, as our depth in attack definitely seems the weakest at present.
Do you expect us to be busy in the coming transfer window?
Patrick
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