Nice to have you back, DJ

Arsenal are now competing at the top level and just like with Wenger, Arteta is hesitant to use the youth, fearing they are more likely to make mistakes than those with experience. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy because the youth players will only improve with more experience! It's less risky to buy ready-made players.

So it's not an easy problem to solve. I still believe those who are standouts like Ethan will make it, but others will need to prove themselves on loan. And in those situations you can miss out, like Wenger did with Gnabry.

Even when competing at the top level there are opportunities to blood kids - Lyon at 5 up and PSV were obvious chances.
The fact Arteta seems to favour weakening the midfield and playing Rice out of position at CB rather than even contemplate Walters says a lot to me.

I think playing Rice at CB is more to do with having no backup to Saliba while Tomi is injured.

Which, if he had been given some opportunities, could have been Walters instead - even if it were him at RB and White back to CB. And it isn't as if Kiwoir did well there last season when Saliba was injured - but Arteta would rather play him at LB

The fact is that Tuesday was a chance to line up without Saliba and see but wasn't taken. Surely it would have made more sense to play Rice from the start at CB if he really wanted that experiment.

Arteta has to decide who he needs in Jan, which is more complicated because it's obvious we need a big chunk of change for a striker. Rumours suggest that Kiwior will go if a bid comes in for him. Arsenal are unlikely to buy a Right Back with Timber to return, so I think they are trying to assess whether they can avoid buying a defender in Jan.

So in an injury situation could Rice fill in at CB with Partey playing DM?

Should also be said that the youngsters on the bench also missed out on playing against European opposition in the youth league. Although it was a terrible campaign for them, I would think playing would be better than sitting on the first team bench. I get the argument over the exposure to the first team on matchday, but it seems a bit silly (plus they could have played in the afternoon and then sat on the bench in the evening anyway).

comment by Jenius99 (U4918)
posted 1 minute ago
Arteta has to decide who he needs in Jan, which is more complicated because it's obvious we need a big chunk of change for a striker. Rumours suggest that Kiwior will go if a bid comes in for him. Arsenal are unlikely to buy a Right Back with Timber to return, so I think they are trying to assess whether they can avoid buying a defender in Jan.

So in an injury situation could Rice fill in at CB with Partey playing DM?
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We won't see much of Partey until mid-February at the earliest.
If selling Kiwior is even a thought then the fact he played at left back Tuesday is even worse. Cedric could have started at LB and Walters at RB! I doubt those rumours are true, we have 4 fit defenders beyond him and Cedric and Timber won't be back in the near future.
Wouldn't surprise me if we go into a big game with Partey and Rice in the back 4 and Jorginho at DM

Maybe Arteta thought it was more valuable for them to get a feel of how the first team prepares for matchday even if they didn't get on? I don't think Arteta planned not to play them, but had other priorities with the first team players on the bench, who already don't get enough minutes and have little impact as subs.

The PSV game was the one, absolute dead rubber for both sides (a bit unfair if the other teams could be effected by a weakened side).

If the young players aren't talented enough then so be it but by many reports some have a chance at becoming top players and it's a real shame for all if we let them slip away.

I get the matchday experience, but there are a lot of opportunities for that with the number of subs allowed. There will be space on the bench in the last 16 when the youth team don't have a game. They only had 6 European games at that level so actually playing against different styles imo would have been more beneficial - especially for Ethan who only played once.

They say partey could be back for Liverpool

comment by Passion Power - Make 1984 fiction again (U8398)
posted 22 seconds ago
They say partey could be back for Liverpool
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Assume that is the league game, so a couple of games before Ghana can call him up? He won't be anywhere near match ready I guess, so the Christmas period isn't the best time to come back.

Nwaneri came on against Brentford last season but that was a very weird moment and uncharacteristic of him. I don't buy into the idea that we had to do that to keep him. Arteta does what is best for the club now and I don't believe that he would have been keen on effectively giving into the demands of a 15 year old.

Personally I don't think there is a big issue here. You don't see many academy kids come through and be part of the first team squad for clubs at the very top. The fact that we have Saka, Nketiah, Smith Rowe and Nelson in there all around the 22-24 mark shows opportunities come if you're good enough and willing to be patient.

Saka was already one of our best players when Arteta came in but all 4 have played their best football whilst he's been in charge. However I do agree that on Walters, him at right back with White at CB guiding him a bit was an opportunity missed. If he impresses then he could have given some chances to take White off towards the end of games given he can't rotate with Tomi now for a while.

Agree. If it wasn't for Emery, who knows if we would have Saka and Martinelli now. I'm not so sure Arteta would gave them so much chance like Emery did at that time of their careers. This game was meaningless and I don't understand that he didn't give a chance to a single youngster.

Lol

No game in meaningless, there’s money at stake plus reputation.
If he chucked the youngsters in and we got battered how would they benefit.
The game was tight so he didn’t really have a choice,

comment by IanWrightWrightWright (U12750)
posted 23 minutes ago
No game in meaningless, there’s money at stake plus reputation.
If he chucked the youngsters in and we got battered how would they benefit.
The game was tight so he didn’t really have a choice,
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Peanuts, and no reputation has ever been damaged by rotation in a dead rubber. Also, how does that explain not using the kids on the bench when 5-0 up? Were we going to lose 6-5??
I guess all the headlines today are about Liverpools loss of reputation and the impending financial crisis caused by yesterdays defeat
Players do learn and improve by bad results and performances, no-one is going to be good every game especially at the start. But without any experience how are they going to ever be ready? Imagine we pick up a couple of defensive injuries Sunday and suddenly we are going to Anfield with Walters needing to start without any senior experience!!

I don't think a few sub appearances or a start in the week would have made any difference to Walters at Liverpool tbh

Arteta doesn't give the youth team the same chances Wenger did (which loads of people moaned about him doing at the time) and even Emery would blood a few more in early rounds/group stages but he's still brought through and improved a very young squad

comment by CrouchEndGooner (U13531)
posted 4 minutes ago
I don't think a few sub appearances or a start in the week would have made any difference to Walters at Liverpool tbh

Arteta doesn't give the youth team the same chances Wenger did (which loads of people moaned about him doing at the time) and even Emery would blood a few more in early rounds/group stages but he's still brought through and improved a very young squad
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You don't think actual experience in a senior team would have helped? Debuts are a massive thing for players by all accounts and many succumb to nerves that they don't have to the same extent once they have got over that hurdle.

Lets be honest, if Walters starting instead of Cedric means we are certain to lose a dead rubber for both teams against PSV then Walters may as well give up.
If bringing Nwaneri and/or MLS on at 5-0 against Lyon is going to cause the greatest collapse ever then not only should those two get back to school and prepare for a life outside of football but the other players on the pitch should also consider their future.

True

Some moaning about Arteta wanted to win a dead rubber game? Only at Arsenal.

I think Arteta made the right decision to take some youngster with the first team squad to experience a bit of first team atmosphere.

PS: Welcome back DJ. Missed you.

Arteta didn't win a dead rubber. We are moaning about Arteta jeopardising future success by overplaying certain players, not blooding youngsters and getting them ready to transition into the first team, and seemingly not learning from mistakes of seasons past.

comment by CrouchEndGooner (U13531)
posted 1 hour, 3 minutes ago
I don't think a few sub appearances or a start in the week would have made any difference to Walters at Liverpool tbh

Arteta doesn't give the youth team the same chances Wenger did (which loads of people moaned about him doing at the time) and even Emery would blood a few more in early rounds/group stages but he's still brought through and improved a very young squad
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I don't think we need Walters for Liverpool but perceptions can change by the game. All ifs and buts however if he had played and done okay then maybe Arteta trusts him to come on against Brighton. Probably not because it would be up against Mitoma but with so many games coming, White can't keep playing 90 every few days. Maybe Cedric has demonstrated enough that he can be trusted to do this job instead over this busy festive period.

Cedric lost the ball 11 times against PSV. I think his performance, more than anyone, should have affirmed he needs to go in Jan.