Mikel Arteta - between a venturer and a genius

Arsenal have won the North London Derby, and that's currently the only important thing to the Gunners and their fans. Still, the impression is that Mikel Arteta's squad did not impress against the fiercest rivals. The excuse could be the absence of several players, especially midfielders Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and the newcomer Mikel Merino. Hence, Arteta had to fill the gaps with the players he had at his disposal. The problem is he had few alternatives, whose quality is quite questionable.

Namely, Thomas Partey was the only regular starting midfielder available. The other two empty spots - made by Odegaard's injury and Rice's suspension - were filled by another midfielder, Jorginho, and the winger Leandro Trossard?! Why the winger? Well, because the remaining midfielders on Arsenal's bench - Ayden Heaven, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Ethan Nwaneri - are 17 years old each!

Arsenal legend claims Gabriel’s goal should not have stood

Since Arsen Wenger's time, the Gunners have been relatively cheap regarding reinforcements, especially compared to their Premier League rivals. Now, Arteta is facing a complicated situation because of the missing pieces in his puzzle. In the previous two seasons, where his team lost the title to Man City with a five- and two-point difference, he needed to comprehend that every point matters and that you cannot count on those points and fight for them with a bunch of teenagers. It seems that the Spaniard still hasn't taught the lesson.

In the previous transfer window, Arsenal signed four new players - a keeper (Neto), a forward (Raheem Sterling), a defender (Riccardo Calafiori), and a midfielder (Mikel Merino). Only one midfielder - who suffered a severe injury even before he could debut - after letting Emile Smith Rowe move to Fulham and having in mind Jorginho's poor performances?! It would be crazy to think that Odegaard and Rice - the absolutely crucial players in the midfield - could go through this never longer season without a single injury or suspension problem.

The question of a missing forward is a new topic altogether. A forward Arsenal fans have been waiting for two seasons now. Are Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, and Bukayo Saka, with the help of the golden sub Trossard and the experienced Sterling, good enough to produce goals on a regular basis? Time will tell. Still, Arsenal, in the end, had to rely on the centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes to net a winner against the Spurs.

Arteta's strategy of giving possession up to Ange Postecoglou's team, playing a physical game, and making a lot of tackles on the verge of a booking worked this time. All that, and faith in his assistant and Arsenal's set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover, who deserved and earned a raise fair and square. The only question is, will these tactics work every time? Once again, time will tell.