In the cold, rain-swept confines of Fratton Park this Sunday, a subtle but seismic shift in the Arsenal hierarchy was televised for the world to see. It wasn’t just about the 4-1 scoreline or advancing to the FA Cup fourth round. It was about the names on the sheet and, more importantly, the names who weren’t.
Six years ago, a “rotated” Arsenal side was a terrifying prospect for the wrong reasons. We remember the days when a couple of injuries to Tierney or Partey didn’t just hurt the team; they fundamentally broke the system. Today, Mikel Arteta made **ten changes** from the side that drew with Liverpool. He left the likes of Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, and Declan Rice at home. In their place stepped Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Eberechi Eze a “B-team” with more technical security and winning experience than most Premier League starting elevens.
This is the story of the six-year metamorphosis: the journey from a fragile “Project” to a battle-hardened juggernaut where the individual is no longer the single point of failure.
### The luxury of patience: The Eberechi Eze narrative
Perhaps nothing illustrates the “New Arsenal” better than the handling of **Eberechi Eze**. In the 2021 or 2022 iterations of this squad, a marquee signing like Eze would have been rushed back from his recent muscle strain with reckless abandonment. We simply wouldn’t have had a choice; the creative drop-off would have been too steep to ignore.
Yet, Eze has not started a Premier League game in nearly a month. He sat on the bench for four consecutive league matches, a period where Arsenal maintained their six-point lead at the top of the table. Arteta now possesses the **political and physical capital** to be patient.
When Eze finally stepped onto the pitch today, he didn’t look like a player rushed back to “save” a season; he looked like a predator entering an already winning hunt. It was his wicked, in swinging corner that forced the Andre Dozzell own goal to level the game, and his press-resistant turns that sucked the life out of Portsmouth’s early momentum. This is the “squad depth” we dreamed of—the ability to keep £60m talents in cold storage until they are 100% sharp.
### Mentality and the return of the “Vets”
While the headlines will focus on **Gabriel Martinelli’s** first-ever senior hat-trick, the emotional core of today’s win was the return of the leadership group.
**Gabriel Jesus**, having fought his way back from a gruelling ACL recovery that sidelined him for most of 2025, looked like a man possessed. His assist for Martinelli’s second goal—a slide-rule cross after a deceptive burst of pace—was a reminder that Jesus brings a “chaos factor” that even our best starters sometimes lack.
Then there is **Kai Havertz**. Coming off the bench in the 69th minute, Havertz didn’t just trot around to see out the game. He won headers, tracked back into his own box, and nearly notched an assist for Noni Madueke in stoppage time.
This is the “experience disparity” that has grown year-on-year. In the early Arteta years, our “depth” consisted of youngsters with potential but no floor, or veterans with a floor but no ceiling. Now, our second string consists of Champions League winners and Brazilian internationals. The mentality has shifted from _“I hope I play well”_ to _“I will impose my will on this game.”_
### The 2026 blueprint: Why it’s different this time
The year-by-year improvement is measurable. Look at the bench from the 2023/24 season—Arteta often turned around to find three academy teenagers and a backup goalkeeper. Fast forward to January 2026:
* **2020-2022 (The Clearing):** Phasing out high-wage, low-output players. Establishing the “non-negotiable.”
* **2023-2024 (The Identity):** Relying heavily on a core 14 players. Brilliant, but prone to late-season “legs-gone” syndrome.
* **2025-2026 (The Completion):** The integration of **Mikel Merino, Viktor Gyokeres, and Noni Madueke**.
Today, we saw **Ethan Nwaneri** (now 18 and a physical match for any Championship midfielder) starting alongside **Christian Norgaard**. We saw **Myles Lewis-Skelly** executing tactical fouls with the cynicism of a 30-year-old. This isn’t just a collection of talent; it’s a collective intelligence that has been drilled for half a decade.
### The crown jewel: Bukayo Saka’s 2031 commitment
If the Portsmouth game showed the depth of the forest, the news on Friday showed the strength of the roots. **Bukayo Saka signing a new five-year deal** (keeping him at the Emirates until 2031) is the ultimate endorsement of the Arteta era.
For years, the “Arsenal Narrative” was one of a stepping-stone club. We developed talent for Manchester City, Barcelona, or Real Madrid to harvest. By securing Saka the most coveted right-winger in world football until he is 29, Arsenal have signalled that the ceiling here is as high as it is anywhere on the planet.
Saka’s willingness to commit his peak years is a direct result of the squad depth we saw today. He knows he no longer has to play 50 games a season through a taped-up hamstring. With **Noni Madueke** providing genuine competition and cover, Saka can be the “best version of himself” rather than a “exhausted version of himself.”
### Conclusion: The “Process” has produced a monster
Mikel Arteta often spoke about “Phases.” If Phase 1 was survival and Phase 3 was competition, Phase 5 is **domination through attrition**.
The Arsenal of 2026 doesn’t just beat you with a starting XI; they beat you with a 25-man philosophy. They beat you because when you’re tired in the 70th minute, they bring on a £65m Kai Havertz. They beat you because even when their “Starboy” is resting on the bench, Eberechi Eze is there to pick the lock.
The disparity between Arsenal and the rest of the league used to be about quality. Now, it’s about the sheer, suffocating depth of experience and mentality. As the chant goes, _we’ve got Super Mik Arteta_—and for the first time in twenty years, he finally has the army to match his ambition.