As Arsenal struggled to break down a tightly bound Newcastle defence on Tuesday night, the lack of options available to Mikel Arteta on the bench to change things was stark. While Pep Guardiola was able to bring on Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish to change Manchester City's close encounter with Chelsea, the only player Arteta could bring on was right back Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Part of this is down to the injuries Arsenal are dealing with. Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Jesus and Reiss Nelson are all out, which limits Arteta's attacking options. Another aspect of this though is the slim nature of the Gunners squad generally. “I said from day one that we have a short squad because at the end we left some players," Arteta said in November. "It’s what we have. If everyone’s available and no one is injured we are OK, but the moment there is, we know what it is. It’s nothing new."
With that in mind it seems highly likely that Arsenal will include some youngsters in the group who travels to play Oxford for their FA Cup third round clash on Monday. Here football.london takes a look at who might be involved.
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Amario Cozier-Duberry
With the aforementioned injuries to forward players, Monday night represents a real opportunity for Arsenal's young attackers. Amario Cozier-Duberry is one who'll be look to grasp that chance after impressing during the preseason friendly against Juventus last month.
If Arteta chooses to rest Gabriel Martinelli then a left wing spot could be available, although that is likely to depend on Emile Smith Rowe's fitness. Quick, technically gifted and direct, Cozier-Duberry has really impressed for Mehmet Ali's U23s this season.
Ethan Nwaneri
If there was one player Mikel Arteta probably couldn't afford to do without right now, it's Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian has been labelled the best player in the Premier League at the moment by some and has been massively influential on the Arsenal side all season.
With that in mind Arteta may want to give his captain a rest. If Fabio Vieira plays slightly further ahead on the right wing to cover Bukayo Saka, then Ethan Nwaneri could be a candidate to come in and fill the midfield role. The 15-year-old is well known to Gunners fans after his record breaking debut against Brentford earlier this season and travelled away with Arsenal to their training camp in Dubai.
Reuell Walters
If there's a position where Arsenal have struggled with injuries this season it's full-back. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Alex Zinchenko have both been in and out with injuries, and with crucial matches against Tottenham and Manchester United coming up, Arteta may not want to risk them.
If that happens then Reuell Walters - who can play anywhere across the backline - might be in line for an opportunity. While he may not start at the Kassam, Arteta has already included Walters in first team squads this season, and if things go right the 18-year-old could be in line for a senior debut.
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