Three points. Five matches. And a squad that’s running out of answers. Arsenal went into the Etihad on April 19th with a six-point cushion and walked out with three, beaten 2-1 by Manchester City, with Martin Odegaard making only his third start in three months. That’s the arsenal squad depth problem in one sentence: when the first eleven tires, there is nothing behind it that looks like a Premier League champion.
- Arsenal have lost four of their last six matches across all competitions after losing only three of the prior 49.
- Key players Odegaard and Eze have started together just four times all season due to fitness issues.
- Man City have a game in hand and can overtake on goal difference with a win at Burnley on Wednesday.
Arsenal Squad Depth Problem: How A Nine-Point Lead Vanished
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The arsenal squad depth problem has been visible all season, but the last six weeks turned it from a tactical concern into a title-defining crisis.
On March 22nd, Arsenal sat nine points clear at the top of the Premier League. One month later, that lead is three. The numbers are brutal. According to the Premier League, Mikel Arteta’s side have dropped ten points in six fixtures while Manchester City have taken sixteen from a possible eighteen.
This is not a run-of-the-mill wobble. It’s the kind of collapse that ends title races. Arsenal also lost 2-1 at home to AFC Bournemouth in Matchweek 32, a result that looked like a glitch at the time and now looks like a pattern. And the pattern is simple: when Arsenal need a starter, the starter is absent. When they need a replacement, the replacement is not good enough.
Remember: this is a club chasing its first title since 2004.
The context matters. Arsenal have finished second in each of the last three seasons. The xG, the pressing numbers, the defensive record — all of it has improved under Mikel Arteta. What has not improved, across four separate transfer windows, is the squad’s ability to absorb injuries to its most important players. When Bukayo Saka was out earlier this season, the goals dried up. When Odegaard went down in January, the build-up lost its shape. And now, with the run-in underway and Champions League knockout rounds layered on top, the cost of those gaps is being paid in full.
The Odegaard Problem — And It Is A Problem
Martin Odegaard is Arsenal’s captain, creative axis, and press trigger. He made his third start in three months against Man City on Sunday. Think about that for a second. In a title run-in, your most important midfielder has started three games since late January.
When he plays, Arsenal function. He was directly involved in the build-up to Gabriel Martinelli’s equaliser at the Etihad and knitted the midfield together despite the loss. Sky Sports noted it was only the fourth time all season he’s started alongside Eberechi Eze. One of those four was cut short at half-time.
Four starts. Out of thirty-four league games. That is the central weakness of this Arsenal squad.
The arsenal squad depth problem compounds with every injury. The ripple effect is everywhere. Without Odegaard, the press gets easier to play through. Without Odegaard, the half-space runs dry up. Without Odegaard, Declan Rice has to push further forward to manufacture chances, which leaves Arsenal’s midfield exposed on transition. Man City’s second goal on Sunday came from exactly that — a quick turnover with Rice caught high, Cherki running into space, and nobody tracking Haaland’s late run into the box.
Who Replaces Odegaard When He’s Out?
The honest answer: nobody at the level required. Mikel Merino has been asked to play as a false nine and an attacking eight and a deep-lying playmaker, sometimes in the same match. Ethan Nwaneri has flashes, but a 17-year-old should not be carrying the creative load of a title-chasing side in April.
Compare that to Man City. When Kevin De Bruyne is missing, Rayan Cherki steps in and scores the opener in the biggest game of the season. When Phil Foden is rested, Bernardo Silva plays the eight. Guardiola’s bench looks like a team; Arteta’s bench looks like a gap.
The data backs it up. Arsenal’s xG when Odegaard starts averages 2.08 per 90. When he’s absent, that number falls to 1.47. That’s a 29% drop in chance creation, on a single player. No title-winning side in the Premier League era has carried a gap that large between its first-choice 10 and its backup.
Arsenal’s Arsenal Squad Depth Problem In The Striker Position
This is the one that’s cost them. Kai Havertz’s persistent fitness issues have left Arsenal without a reliable number nine for long stretches. Gabriel Jesus is out for the season. The deadline-day arrival of a proven striker never happened in January, and the gap shows.
Viktor Gyokeres, signed from Sporting CP in the summer of 2025, has contributed goals, but the conversion rate is not at the elite level Arsenal need. According to FBRef data, Arsenal’s non-penalty xG per 90 has dipped from 2.1 in the first half of the season to 1.4 across March and April. That drop coincides exactly with Havertz’s most recent absence and the moment Arsenal’s title lead started to evaporate.
The pattern is clear. One fit forward and Arsenal win. Two injuries up front and the whole structure wobbles.
What’s telling is how Arteta has tried to compensate. He’s pushed Leandro Trossard into central roles, asked Gabriel Martinelli to operate as a false nine, and even experimented with a strikerless 4-3-3 in the Bournemouth match. None of it replaces a clinical penalty-box finisher. Haaland, by contrast, scored his 23rd league goal of the season on Sunday and remains the Premier League’s most lethal striker. The talent gap at the centre-forward position is the single biggest difference between these two squads.
The Cherki Factor: Why Man City’s Bench Wins Titles
Rayan Cherki is the signing that defines this Premier League season. Signed from Lyon in the summer of 2025, the Frenchman has been directly involved in 12 goals in 16 Premier League starts. He opened the scoring at the Etihad on Sunday with a curled finish that Arsenal’s defenders simply could not close down in time.
According to Sky Sports, Cherki is the first Premier League player this season to record 10+ goals and 10+ assists across all competitions. That’s the level of output Man City bought in one transfer window. Add Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth, and an Ederson replacement deal, and Guardiola has rebuilt his spine in a single summer.
Set against the arsenal squad depth problem, Man City’s recruitment looks surgical. Arsenal’s comparable 2025 summer signings — Gyokeres, Eze, and Martin Zubimendi — were all solid. But the depth additions that make the difference in March and April never arrived.
Our View At Unicorn Blogger: The Title Slips Away Because Of Summer 2025
We’re calling it. Arsenal will not win this title, and the reason won’t be Sunday’s loss at the Etihad. The reason will be the summer transfer window of 2025, when the club failed to sign a second elite forward, failed to buy a recognised Odegaard understudy, and failed to add the kind of bench depth that Pep Guardiola has assembled over the last decade.
Arteta’s squad is excellent. It is not deep. And the arsenal squad depth problem is a roster construction issue, not a coaching one. And in a season with Champions League, domestic cups, and a title push, depth is what wins trophies. Man City beat Arsenal with Cherki and Haaland — the former arriving from Lyon last summer for £36 million, the latter the established world-class striker. Arsenal’s answer on the night was a half-fit Odegaard and Mikel Merino chasing shadows.
Our prediction: Man City win the title on May 24th by two points. Arsenal finish second for the fourth consecutive season. And the summer of 2026 becomes the most important transfer window of Mikel Arteta’s career.
What Arsenal Need To Fix This Summer
Three positions. That’s what stands between Arsenal and a title-winning squad. The arsenal squad depth problem reduces to three specific gaps, all fixable with the right summer window. The January window passed without meaningful reinforcement, and the consequences are playing out right now in Matchweek 33 and beyond.
- A genuine Odegaard backup. Not a utility midfielder. A technical 10 who can play a full 90 minutes without dropping the team’s creative output.
- A second elite striker. Havertz as first choice is fine if the backup is someone who can start 15-20 league games without the attack dying.
- A left-footed centre-half. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are world-class. The third-choice option is not, and Arsenal have been exposed in both Champions League knockout rounds because of it.
The financial stakes add pressure. Premier League prize money differences between first and second place totalled roughly £3.7 million last season, with Champions League qualification pathways and commercial revenue multiplying that gap. Arsenal have reached the Champions League semi-finals, which funds the summer rebuild, but not at the level of a title winner.
The Final Five Matches: What Each Team Faces
Arsenal’s remaining fixtures include Newcastle at home, Crystal Palace away, Liverpool at Anfield, and Sunderland away before a final-day clash. Three of those five are away from the Emirates. Man City’s run-in includes Burnley (game in hand), Wolves, Fulham, Bournemouth, and a final-day fixture that could still decide everything. Guardiola’s side have not lost to any of those bottom-half teams all season.
The schedule favours City. The form favours City. The bench favours City. Every one of those advantages feeds back into the arsenal squad depth problem we’ve been tracking all season. Arsenal need a swing back, a full-fit Odegaard for every remaining game, and a slip-up from Pep’s side. It’s possible. It’s not likely.
Champions League layers more pressure on top. Arsenal travel to Atletico Madrid on April 29th and host the return leg on May 5th. Those two games fall between Premier League fixtures against Newcastle and Crystal Palace — exactly the type of midweek-weekend rotation that’s punished squads lacking depth all season. Arteta will have to choose: rest key players for the title race and risk the Champions League exit, or push everyone to the limit and risk injuries that end both campaigns.
The arsenal squad depth problem gets worse with every midweek fixture. Guardiola has the luxury of no European involvement until next season. Man City were eliminated by Real Madrid in the round of 16 back in February — a result that looked like a disaster at the time, and now looks like the gift that tipped the title race. The FA Cup semi-final against Southampton this weekend is a fixture City will rotate through. Arsenal have no such luxury.
Key Takeaways
- Arsenal’s title lead fell from nine points to three in four weeks due to squad depth issues.
- Martin Odegaard has started just four Premier League matches alongside Eberechi Eze all season.
- Arsenal’s non-penalty xG per 90 dropped from 2.1 to 1.4 between February and April.
- The summer 2025 transfer window failed to address three critical squad gaps.
- Man City’s bench strength — Cherki, Guehi, Semenyo — is the model Arsenal must match.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many points are Arsenal ahead of Manchester City in the title race?
Arsenal lead Manchester City by three points with five matches remaining after the 2-1 defeat at the Etihad on April 19th. However, Man City have a game in hand against Burnley on Wednesday April 22nd, which could level the points with identical fixtures remaining. If City win at Turf Moor, they’ll move level on points and ahead on goal difference, making the Arsenal home fixture against Newcastle on April 25th effectively a must-win.
Why is Arsenal’s squad depth considered a problem?
Arsenal have struggled when key players like Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus have been unavailable. The squad lacks direct replacements at the elite level, forcing players like Mikel Merino and 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri into roles beyond their current output levels. The arsenal squad depth problem shows most clearly on the bench itself. By contrast, Manchester City’s bench has produced match-winning contributions all season, with signings like Rayan Cherki and Marc Guehi stepping up in title-defining fixtures.
How many matches has Martin Odegaard started in 2025-26?
Martin Odegaard has made only his third start in three months in the April 19th fixture against Manchester City. His partnership with Eberechi Eze has started just four Premier League matches together in the entire 2025-26 campaign, with one of those fixtures ending early due to injury. Arsenal’s xG when Odegaard starts averages 2.08 per 90, falling to 1.47 without him.
Can Arsenal still win the 2025-26 Premier League title?
Mathematically yes, but the momentum has swung to Manchester City. Arsenal have lost four of their last six matches across all competitions, while City have taken 16 of 18 available points. Arsenal also face Champions League semi-final ties against Atletico Madrid on April 29th and May 5th, which will test their squad rotation further before the final stretch. The title race now depends on whether Odegaard stays fit and whether City slip in their game in hand.
The arsenal squad depth problem will not fix itself in five matches. The final whistle on May 24th will decide which club has the bench to match the brains. Right now, that looks like Manchester City. For more tactical breakdowns, read our Man City vs Arsenal tactical guide, and for the wider picture check the Football section or jump across to our Basketball coverage for the NBA playoff race. Our earlier Erling Haaland records breakdown shows why his 23rd goal on Sunday changed the race.
