Arsenal fans and players have reason to be optimistic this year. Photo: Getty Images/David Price
If 2022 was the year that Arsenal built a team capable of challenging the league, then north London hopes that 2023 is the year they built a team strong enough to break the line. There are more than 11 men in the title race and Arsenal know that depth is as important as the quality of Mikel Arteta's first team.
There is an understanding within Arsenal that the lack of top-notch backups has proved to be fatal in their battle against Manchester City last season. Arteta's team was the best team in the league when its key players were in good shape, but once they got a few injuries, the momentum was lost. The absence of defenders William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu in the same match in March would be a turning point in their campaign.
Now, as they prepare to face City again in Sunday's Community Shield, Arsenal's squad appears to be stronger – and deeper – than at any time in years. It wasn't until 2023 that they were joined by Jorginho, Jakub Kivior, Leandro Trossar, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice. All of these players except Jorginho can play multiple positions.
These signings have cost Arsenal around £250m since the start of the year. As a result, Arteta has more choices than ever before.
Kai Havertz could be an important addition to Mikel. Team Arteta. Photo: Getty Images/Mike Hewitt
Such is the extent of the Arsenal team's newfound strength, it seems they now – at least on paper – have more variety and depth than City in most areas of the pitch. City still have arguably the largest collection of defensive options the Premier League has ever seen, but in midfield and attack Arteta has more ways to mix up his approach.
This has a lot to do with with the departure of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez from Etihad. The two players scored 26 goals in 98 matches in all competitions last season. Gundogan's replacement Mateo Kovacic has scored six goals in five seasons at Chelsea, and Mahrez's replacement has yet to be signed.
It must be said that City already had a small squad in terms of the number of options at Guardiola's disposal. “We only have 18.19 players,” Guardiola said in February. “Our depth is perhaps the smallest in the Premier League.”
The difference between Arsenal and City last year was that Guardiola had complete confidence in most of these players, which allowed him to constantly change . Did the City have depth in numbers? No. But they absolutely had a depth of quality. This is an area where Arsenal are trying to close the gap.
“Obviously we knew that was a factor,” Arteta said of his team's depth last season. “It's a factor, and at certain points it really played a role with some specific players.”
Sunday's meeting may give the first indication of whether they have succeeded in this regard. Arteta will be without the injured Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, but now the Spaniard can turn to Havertz and Timber as high-end alternatives.
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Offensively, Arteta will have Jesus, Havertz, Trossar, Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson to choose from this season. At the time of writing, he also had young striker Folarin Balogun, who made an impression in France last season. Balogun is likely to be sold before the end of the transfer window (sales are needed after such high costs), but for now he offers another option.
City, in contrast, have Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez and Jack Grealish as their only three recognized strikers. Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva can also play on the flanks, but are considered by many to be attacking midfielders rather than strikers. A young Cole Palmer will certainly have more minutes this season, but he is far from being an established player of the older generation.
It's a similar story in midfield, where Arsenal added the versatile Rice to the list of options that have already included Jorginho, Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith-Rowe and Fabio Vieira.
Only in defense, Arsenal look noticeably smaller than City, who have Kyle Walker, Joao Cancelo, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Diaz, Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte. Yosko Guardiol, meanwhile, joins for £77m. By any measure, this is a formidable back line.
Of course, the transfer window remains open. City may yet add a new striker and it is believed they are considering a move for Crystal Palace winger Michael Olize. However, for now, the treble winners seem unusually light, while Arsenal are gaining weight.
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