It's that time of the season when players in many teams start to feel the burden of fixtures and coaches have to start managing the minutes played by their stars in case their teams are alive in more than one competition.
In the case of Arsenal, the Gunners are in the midst of a Premier League title race and also face Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. That is why Mikel Arteta is starting to make rotations in certain more affordable games that could allow the north London side to keep their stars off the pitch or if they do, to play less minutes.
As such, the Spanish coach made some changes to his starting XI against Luton Town with the introduction of Smith-Rowe, Thomas Partey, Reiss Nelson and Leandro Trossard. The Emirates Stadium outfit claimed a comfortable win over the Hatters and Arteta was delighted with the depth of squad he has under his command.
"They responded really well and I'm so happy with that. It was a wonderful game. When they get their moment, they have to take it and they certainly did today. They give me every reason (to pick them) every day," he said.
"If we had lost the game it would've been because we made the changes and it's not as simple as that. You have to do what is right, what they deserve and it's good confidence," added the Spanish manager.
April 3, 2024