Heading into Wednesday's clash with Man City, there was no doubt that Arsenal deserved to be where they were in the league table. However, it was always going to be a contest won by fine margins, individual moments of quality, and as it turned out, mistakes too.
It's safe to say that the Gunners started on the front foot, enjoying some nice passages of play and piling the pressure on Pep Guardiola's men which eventually saw Bukayo Saka convert a penalty earned by Eddie Nketiah. The atmosphere was electric and Arsenal looked up for the challenge just as they have on numerous occasions this season, but Man City highlighted a reoccurring weakness which Stan Kroenke must address in the summer.
Considering the two costly errors made by Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Magalhaes, in addition to the drop-off in intensity during the second half, It would be wrong to say that the result was down to the substitutes bench, but the lack of game changing options was once again evident.
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A large part of that is down to bad luck with injuries. Gabriel Jesus and Mohamed Elneny are recovering from successful surgery, while Emile Smith Rowe has also suffered an unfortunate setback in recent weeks following a lengthy spell out with a groin issue. Mikel Arteta's casualty list grew even further when Thomas Partey was ruled out against City after feeling discomfort in his back and it is not currently known when the Ghanaian will return.
Although it is an unfortunate part of football that cannot be helped, Arsenal fans will remember that insufficient squad depth was part of the reason why Champions League qualification wasn't secured last season and despite the January arrivals of Leandro Trossard, Jorginho and Jakub Kiwior, the gap in quality compared to the current Premier League champions remains sizeable.
City are able to turn to the likes of Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, Kalvin Phillips and even Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne or Bernardo Silva depending on what system Guardiola opts for. Whereas Trossard, Reiss Nelson, Fabio Vieira and 17-year-old Amario Cozier-Duberry are finding themselves as the only attack-minded options on the Arsenal bench, with no striker or central midfielder to choose from. Even when the aforementioned names return from injury, a lack of quality and reliability will still be apparent in certain areas, especially in midfield.
With Champions League football currently on course to return to the Emirates Stadium next season, the Arsenal hierarchy will know that the summer window has the potential to be one of their biggest - and most important - yet. A solid foundation has been successfully built using a combination of youth, experience and quality, but now it must be about adding layers that will continuously raise the bar and sometimes that means taking a ruthless approach.
On Wednesday, Arsenal had four defenders on the bench including Rob Holding, whose professionalism has been unquestionable since he joined in 2016. However, as the team makes significant strides, two questions must be asked with the greatest respect: has he got what it takes to be part of a squad looking to compete against the best in the game and is he even needed? With Kiwior's arrival and Tomiyasu's ability to play as a centre-back, it could be argued that he isn't, opening up a spot for an exciting midfielder to come in as a result.
They are questions that can also apply to Elneny and Nelson. Their commitment to the club is undeniable, but there comes a time when you have to close one chapter and open another in order to become stronger. If Arsenal want to do just that and reduce the gap on Man City even further, ambition must always be at the forefront of their plans moving forward.
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