Arsenal will be relatively happy with the start they have made to the new campaign.

Arsenal are so far unbeaten in all competitions this season, and have even already lifted silverware, albeit it was only the Community Shield.

The Gunners have enjoyed hard-fought wins against Manchester United and Crystal Palace in the Premier League, and thrashed PSV Eindhoven upon their long-awaited return to the Champions League stage.

Mikel Arteta will feel, though, that these highs are somewhat undercut by the fact Arsenal dropped points against both Fulham and bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur. In both matches at the Emirates Stadium the Gunners held the lead at some stage but couldn’t see out a win.

Even in these early stages of the season, certain flaws in Arteta’s squad have been revealed.

Lack of full-back options

It is harsh to blame the club for this one, as they did invest £38 million to sign Jurrien Timber this summer only to almost immediately lose him to a long-term ACL injury. However, no attempt was made to revisit the market and react to this setback.

Whilst Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior can function in full-back roles if required, there is now a huge reliance on Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko to stay fit, especially as Kieran Tierney was allowed to leave the club.

Cedric Soares is still on the books, but can’t be seriously considered as a viable alternative in anything but the most desperate of circumstances. 

This lack of options could lend an opportunity to talented youngster Reuell Walters.

Arsenal missing killer instinct

If the disappointing 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur proved anything, it is that Arsenal lack a pure, predatory goalscorer to lead the line. Gabriel Jesus has vast talent and brings so much to the team, but his finishing is unreliable. It also seems that Eddie Nketiah is not quite of the required standard.

Recent links with Brentford striker Ivan Toney, as reported by The Mirror, suggest that Arteta is seeking a remedy for his squad’s lack of killer instinct.

Odegaard overburdened

Having cost just £30 million to sign from Real Madrid in 2021, Martin Odegaard must go down as one of Arsenal’s best buys in recent years. The club captain is a talismanic figure in the side and Arteta is understandably extremely reliant on him.

Perhaps too reliant. There is no tried and tested rotation option for Odegaard in the squad. Kai Havertz, Fabio Vieira, Leandro Trossard, and Emile Smith Rowe have all been utilised in the ‘left eight’ role at times, but there is no standout candidate for who should fill in on the right-hand side of Arsenal’s attacking midfield duo should the Norwegian be unavailable. 

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