8 Weeks To January Window - Is Squad Depth Still A Problem?

The recently loss to Chelsea in the Capital One Cup highlighted our small squad. It's difficult to fight on four fronts when you have a core squad of roughly 21 players (plus around 4/5 "periphery" and youth players) and 3-5 of those are out for anything between 2 games and 2 months. Clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City, clubs with deep pockets, have the luxury of being able to pay big money to talented players to just sit it out and wait for their chances in cup games.

So far we are still in three competitions and indisputably bigger competitions than the League Cup. Arsenal have their Champions League group fate in their own hands and are sitting pretty five points clear in the title race. They also face off against what the media believes is a genuine title rival in Manchester United on Sunday. Arsenal have an opportunity to put 11 points between them and United. Something that will surely kill off United's title aspirations, because as Arsenal know only too well, being 11 points behind before Christmas is usually a mountain to tall to climb.

A small squad we may have but the panic that is creeping into the minds of some Gooners is a little bit of an over-reaction. Arsenal have 12 games to play before the transfer window opens and should be welcoming some of their injured players back into the fold and into contention. The Gunners will hopefully benefit from the return of these players like they benefited from the return of Cazorla. Arsenal surely have enough depth to get through those games with a healthy tally of points and can strengthen in January.

Some ask what we would do if Giroud got injured and it is a concern but it is pointless worrying too much about what will happen if we lose X player because we won't know if we don't have an answer until it is too late and by then no amount of hindsight will help.

Every team has players they are reliant on and all teams lose a crucial player at some point in the season and most teams find an answer. Gooners know that our season so far has depended on a few key players but we are not the only ones.

A cool new website has been created which would make even the toughest manager want to swathe his top guys in cotton wool if he saw how much his team relied on a certain player or players. Using the League Of Your Own table generator created by bwin, fans can hypothesise on potential scenarios unfolding in the Premier League and see how they affect the table. Heaven forbid you’d want to see what the table would look like if we took out the goals and assists contributed by Ramsey and Giroud in the 2013/14 season so far – but here it is. Just goes to show what a talented pair they are!

What is important to remember though is that those players are here and they did score. We already have those points and are already top. The trouble with being at the top is that the only way is down; but with League Of Your Own you can also find out other teams’ strengths and weaknesses, ready for the next time you’re faced with the usual accusations from your mates – find out their teams’ Achilles heel using their league table generator and move in for the kill! Yeah, so maybe we’d do worse without Giroud and Ramsey, but trust me – you do not want to know where Man United would be in the table if games finished after half an hour!

With the ability to change the game by taking out penalties, cutting out tap-ins or even reducing the length of the match, League Of Your Own allows you to speculate to your heart’s content about what gives each Premier League team its best chance of topping the table; much better to be an Arsenal fan in that situation than, say, Sunderland!

Head over to the League Of Your Own website and start experimenting; you never know, you might even be able to prove the case for having an even bigger lead!

Arsenal do need more depth but with only 8 weeks left until they can register (not buy but register) a new player it's not something we should be too concerned with as Arsenal are already flying high with the players they already have and indeed without those they are anxious to welcome back. All is good for now.

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