October 5th 2024.
Mikel Arteta has been making waves as the manager of Arsenal, building a formidable team that could potentially win the title this season. Kieran Gibbs, who used to play alongside Arteta at Arsenal, believes that the starting lineup for their match against Southampton today will be a clear indication of their chances at the title.
Despite facing injuries and a tough schedule, Arsenal has started the season strong and remains unbeaten. They are expected to have an easy time against struggling Southampton, especially after their convincing victory over PSG in the midweek. Arteta has done an impressive job of creating a squad with minimal weaknesses, and he has stuck to a core group of players without much rotation.
However, some players have managed to break into the starting lineup, such as Bukayo Saka who captained the team in the midweek and Declan Rice who started in the Carabao Cup win over Bolton. On the other hand, players like Raheem Sterling have not seen much action yet. With Southampton's underwhelming start to the season, Gibbs believes that this could be the perfect opportunity for Arsenal to rest some key players and give others a chance to shine, ultimately improving their chances of toppling Manchester City.
Gibbs shared his thoughts with ESPNFC, stating that this weekend's match will be a significant test for Arteta in terms of his squad management. It will show how much he trusts in his players and how he handles the rotation of his squad. This is something that top managers like Pep and Fergie excel at, and with the busy fixture schedule, Arteta needs to carefully consider his decisions.
The former Arsenal player believes that Arteta will most likely opt for a full-strength lineup, but if he doesn't make any changes this weekend, it raises the question of when he will rotate and how that will affect the confidence of players on the fringes. This is where the top managers stand out, and Gibbs believes that this will be the only potential weakness for Arteta. The true test of his squad rotation will not be seen until this weekend's match.
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