Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has raised concerns about a potential dressing room 'problem' for Arsenal as their injured stars prepare to return after the international break.
Arsenal's Unbeaten Run Tested
The Gunners extended their impressive unbeaten streak to 14 games across all competitions, but their recent draw against Sunderland saw their Premier League advantage shrink. Manchester City's victory over Liverpool on Sunday cut Arsenal's lead at the top to just four points.
What makes Arsenal's sustained form particularly remarkable is their ability to maintain results despite being hit by numerous injuries to key attacking players. During the Stadium of Light encounter, Mikel Merino was once again deployed as an emergency striker, highlighting the squad's current limitations.
Injury Crisis Testing Squad Depth
The treatment room at the Emirates Stadium has been particularly busy, with six first-team attackers currently sidelined. The absentees include Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus.
However, Arsenal's extensive summer recruitment has provided them with significantly better resources to handle such an injury crisis compared to previous seasons. Speaking before the weekend's action, manager Mikel Arteta indicated that several of his injured forwards could be available for selection when club football resumes.
Rooney's Warning for Arteta
While the return of key players would normally be viewed as positive news, Wayne Rooney believes a fully-fit squad could actually present challenges for the Spanish manager as the season progresses.
'That can cause problems, similar to Liverpool when they sign too many players and you have got players who are getting left on the bench who normally would be playing,' Rooney told The Overlap Fan Debate with Sky Bet.
'I don't think it's always a good thing to have everyone; if you have such a good squad, it's actually sometimes probably quite refreshing for the manager to have them out.'
The former England captain also cautioned against prematurely crowning Arsenal as champions, noting that only 11 games have been played in the Premier League season so far.
'When you start getting into January and the league has started to take its shape and you know roughly where teams are going to finish, then that's when it could be a bit nervy for Arsenal,' he added.
Arteta Welcomes Squad Refresh
Despite Rooney's concerns, Arteta appears eager to welcome back his returning players ahead of crucial fixtures against Tottenham and Chelsea later this month.
After Saturday's draw, the Arsenal manager said: 'Now we reset with the international break, get the [international] players back nice and healthy, the ones that are not healthy make sure that they get healthy, and we go again.'
Arteta emphasised the need for his squad to use the break effectively, stating they would 'look back at what we've done, take all of the positive things that we do, the things that we have the opportunity to improve as well and start to plan what is coming because it's going to be very demanding.'
As Arsenal prepare for the busy festive period, the management of both returning players and squad harmony could prove crucial in their pursuit of a first Premier League title in over two decades.
