Mikel Arteta has previously hinted he is yet to master the art of rotation after assembling one of Arsenal’s strongest ever squads. The almighty scare Mansfield Town gave the Gunners in Saturday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at One Call Stadium indicates it is a lesson he continues to learn.
Ultimately, Arsenal remain in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple after a 2-1 win earned through substitute Eberechi Eze‘s superb 66th-minute strike, fired high into the roof of the net.
They started two 16-year-olds — Marli Salmon and Max Dowman, who became Arsenal’s youngest-ever FA Cup starter aged 16 years and 66 days — and this was their 35th win in all competitions, already their highest total under Arteta with three months of the season still to play.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
Arsenal could have 19 games left if they go all the way at home and abroad, and the suspicion remains that Arteta will need to make better use of his team if they are to stay on course.
Arteta has been criticised for over-utilising key players and so wholesale changes were an understandable response given the short turnaround between Wednesday night’s win at Brighton and Saturday’s trip to League One opposition. But the adjustments those players drafted in would have to make on a testing pitch against unfamiliar opposition were exacerbated by Arteta’s decision to switch to a back three for the first time in 246 matches.
They last started with a back three in August 2021 when losing 5-0 at Manchester City. Arsenal looked unbalanced and unconvincing before Leandro Trossard‘s injury forced Arteta into a change on 38 minutes.
He brought on defender Piero Hincapié, ditched the back three and Noni Madueke scored the opening goal three minutes later, their 100th of the season in all competitions. So why the system change in the first place?
Eberechi Eze scored the crucial winner against Mansfield with a belting strike. Julian Finney/Getty Images
“The players that are available,” Arteta said afterwards. “And if we want to manage the load and certain issues that we had in the team, you have to adapt to that. Sometimes it’s not ideal when you have a day to prepare. But as well, it was a challenge for all of us to see how we could adapt to that which I expected in very difficult circumstances.”
With one day’s full training between returning from Brighton and travelling to Mansfield, Arteta was asked how often they had trained that shape: “Yes, once, [for] 10 minutes.”
Arsenal essentially relied on possessing enough individual quality to advance, and that eventually proved the case. Mansfield, through to this stage of the competition for the first time since 1974 and facing a team 59 places higher in English football’s pyramid, bridged that gap for long periods with effort and endeavour.
Mansfield chief executive Carolyn Radford had spoken in the build-up about the emergency paint-jobs and fixing broken taps to get Mansfield ready for their big day. They also watered the pitch extensively to disrupt Arsenal’s passing as much as possible and their bravery in committing players forward helped unsettle the Gunners.
Mansfield striker Will Evans came off the bench to stun Arsenal with a leveller. Jon Super / AFP via Getty Images
Five minutes after half-time, Salmon underhit a pass to Cristhian Mosquera, who backed off tamely and allowed Will Evans a chance to run at Arsenal’s back line.
Evans forced his way into the box and shot low past Kepa Arrizabalaga to briefly draw Mansfield level but Arteta responded by bringing on Jurriën Timber and Eze, the latter making his mark just four minutes after his introduction.
Arteta’s use of Eze is another point of friction for many. Many would like to see him given a longer run in the team with licence to be at his creative best, but his Arsenal career continues to be stop-start. This match-winning moment offers another opportunity to build on.
Dowman lasted 77 minutes before Bukayo Saka replaced him. It is difficult to balance the space any young teenager needs to develop with highlighting someone as brilliant as Dowman when he does play for the first team.
Some would like Arteta to use Dowman more often — and you could argue playing on this pitch against opposition likely to combat his skill with brute force was questionable — but the playmaker gliding across a flawed surface, twisting and turning with an elegance that rightly elicits excitement at the potential to come.
At 16 years and 66 days old, Max Dowman became Arsenal’s youngest starter in FA Cup history. David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
His recent return from an ankle injury offers an intriguing option in the run-in.
“Max, I think he was exceptional,” Arteta said. “When the ball is bouncing all over the place and you have people in your back, the way he handles time and space and the touches that he takes, it’s just incredible. Especially at the speed at which he delivers those actions. But that tells you the talent that we have.”
Using that talent to keep the Arsenal juggernaut moving forward is Arteta’s task now. Injuries to Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori will cause concern ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Bayer Leverkusen.
“I think everyone feels involved,” Arteta said. “We have the desire that, game by game, we can get closer to the things that we can achieve.”
