Dowman leads the way, White disappoints, and we learn who's ready to go on the journey... and who's not.
Sometimes, life forces you to choose what your priorities truly are. We want to keep all options on the table, but the universe unfortunately does not bend to our whims. Every so often, there comes a point when circumstances bring us to a fork in the road and we must decide what we want more.
I perfectly predicted Arsenal’s lineup for their trip to St. Mary’s Stadium on Saturday. A couple people asked me how. I can assure you, I did not have any insight into Southampton’s tactics outside of an assumption they would employ a low block and try to hit the Gunners on the break.
No, I got the XI right by making educated guesses as to who was fit enough to play or who Mikel Arteta was willing to risk in an FA Cup game at this point in the season. Kepa Arrizabalaga — to many people’s sudden surprise, for some odd reason — was always going to start because he’s the cup keeper and we were playing Southampton (whether he would have been given the FA Cup final is a different but moot conversation now). Jurriën Timber appears to still be injured, leaving Ben White to retain his spot at right back. Cristhian Mosquera got the start alongside Gabriel because William Saliba is typically spared from domestic cup starts, Piero Hincapié picked up an injury with Ecuador, and Riccardo Calafiori played over 200 minutes for Italy over the break. Myles Lewis-Skelly started at left back for those same reasons.
The midfield really picked itself. With Martín Zubimendi near 3,600 minutes in all competitions, Christian Nørgaard started at six. Mikel Merino might be done for the season, Eberechi Eze remains out with a calf issue, and Declan Rice was left out of the squad entirely, meaning that Martin Ødegaard was straight into lineup just having returned from injury and Kai Havertz had to make do as an eight again.
The front three was more of the same. Like Rice, Bukayo Saka wasn’t risked. Noni Madueke, who left the England camp in a knee brace just days ago, was deemed fit enough to make the bench but not to start. Leandro Trossard was not in the squad due to injury. As a result, Max Dowman was utilized at right wing while Gabriel Martinelli lined up on the left. With Havertz in midfield and Viktor Gyökeres having played every possible minute for Sweden during the international break, that left Gabriel Jesus to lead the line.
Andvoila. That was indeed the starting eleven for the FA quarterfinal. Arteta didn’t pick his team based on what weakness in Southampton’s setup he wanted to exploit or a possible opportunity for them he wanted to nullify. He picked the guys who could walk out on the pitch in the first place, and who wouldn’t cost him the season if they went down with an issue in the process.
That’s the balancing act of competing on multiple fronts — in one way or another, you have to make a gamble. There is no playing it safe when the trophies are in sight. Either you’re betting that you can sit your most trusted lieutenants and still overcome a particular opponent, or you’re hoping that you haven’t tempted fate by deploying key men in just one more game.
Arteta bet on the former, and with good reason. Arsenal’s next four games, in competitions that are a bigger priority than the FA Cup is, are a trip to Sporting in Lisbon, a date with Bournemouth at the Emirates, the return leg against Sporting, and a match at the Etihad Stadium that hopefully is rather inconsequential. All of those fixtures will likely require the Gunners to be at full strength, or as close to it as possible. Which means the likes of Saka, Rice, and Saliba will need to start four consecutive matches in two weeks. To make them start in five would, considering what we learned about their physical conditions during the break, likely be a bridge too far. Hell, four will be asking a lot as it is.
So we saw a heavily rotated side begin the clash at Southampton. And even then, there were indications in their collective performance that suggested their eyes were also on other fixtures on the horizon. The running intensity, especially back toward Arsenal’s own goal, was lacking. Senior players produced baffling lapses in defensive concentration; Gabriel accidentally headed a perfect ball in behind for Southampton while Ben White completed misjudged a jump for an aerial ball, leading to the hosts’ first goal. And in the final third, most of Arsenal’s attackers seemed unfocused.
On another day, that group probably gets it done — even if they do so rather unconvincingly — and Arsenal advance to another Wembley fixture. Scott Willis’ “Deserve to Win-O-Meter” has the Gunners winning 45% of the time compared to the Saints’ 28%. But on Saturday a Southampton side in excellent form, in front of a home crowd that was up for the occasion, capitalized on the Gunners’ mistakes and sent the visitors packing. Ah, the magic of the cup.
Now look, don’t take what I’m about to say as some sort of affirmation of the last couple of results. Arsenal have gone out of two cups in as many weeks. They haven’t played well in either game. So I’m not proclaiming and saying everything’s fine.
There are legitimate causes for concern. Arsenal don’t have enough genuine difference-makers in attack. At least that’s how it looks right now. Defensively, they’ve been uncharacteristically shaky of late. And there is a palpable nervousness about them recently.
But when people say Arsenal haven’t played well in ages, I must respectfully disagree. In recent weeks, I’ve for the most part liked what I’ve seen given the context of the current footballing landscape.
They beat Bayer Leverkusen comfortably. They rode their luck a little against Everton but ultimately came out deserved winners against one of the most underrated sides in the Premier League. They humiliated Spurs. They comfortably dispatched Sunderland at the Emirates. And they rolled over Leeds United quite comfortably as well.
For me, to say that Arsenal haven’t played well recently constitutes a bit of cherry-picking. Of course there have been bad results here and there. Losing to City in the Carabao Cup final hurt. Drawing at Wolves earned a crash-out even from me. Losing at home to Manchester United earlier this season was terrible too. And there have been several wins in which Arsenal got away with a middling performance (although isn’t that supposed to be the stuff of champions?).
The fact is, Arsenal have now played 51 games in all competitions and won 37 of them. They only have six losses. They managed a perfect record in the Champions League league phase, and currently sport both the most goals scored and least goals conceded in the Premier League.
And yet, it’s starting. With two losses on the bounce to lose out on the domestic cups this late in the season, some fans are doing what they always do when the going gets tough: emotionally divesting. It’s one thing to be concerned about the Gunners’ form right now, and I completely understand that. It’s another, far less respectable thing to wave the wide flag at the first sign of trouble, to create the most cowardly win-win scenario for yourself by predicting failure so that you end up either right or pleasantly surprised.
Worse than that, I’m seeing more and more so-called “supporters” claim they’re tapping out or planning on being a more casual fan next season even if Arsenal win the title, or that this season is a failure and Arteta still needs to go if the Gunners win “just” the Premier League title. It’s yet another indication that social media has been allowed to warp people’s brains to the point where logical reasoning is at a premium.
I think that’s part of my big takeaway from this match, to be honest. On Saturday we learned who is ready to come with us on this journey, both on the pitch and in the stands. We got a better idea of which Arsenal players are at the end of their rope at this level. We also saw who is an Arsenal supporter and who just talks about Arsenal online. In the end, players and fans both need to meet this moment. And, as harsh it sounds, those who can’t should exit stage left.
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Ballers
Max Dowman
Even if it all goes to hell in a hand basket this season, I’m so excited to see Dowman progress as a player in this side. On Saturday he was Arsenal’s best player, and not for the first time during this campaign. The 16-year-old finished with the most dribbles for the Gunners (three successful out of three attempted). Dowman also managed the most touches in the opposition box with 17; the next-most was Havertz with eight. He won the most duels (eight) and drew the most fouls (four). The Hale End prodigy also took seven shots, with three on target, and created a chance.
One thing that really struck me was how willing the senior players were to give Dowman the ball. They were typically looked for him when attempting to progress up the pitch or create a threatening moment in the final third. At times it felt like the game plan was essentially “give it to Dowman and inshallah”. It’s no wonder he finished with 68 touches.
The other thing that struck me was that Arteta kept Dowman on the pitch for the entirety of the match, and how the manager made that happen. Dowman started at right wing to begin the game before shifting into midfield on 61 minutes to make way for Noni Madueke and take Ødegaard’s place. It probably means we won’t see much of him at Sporting, but I think Arteta’s willingness to trust a teenager for the whole match speaks volumes as to how highly he rates the youngster. I came again from this match once again thinking that we are looking at a future superstar.
Viktor Gyökeres
All season, the debate has raged on about whether Gyökeres has been a worthwhile signing for Arsenal. Some have claimed that the problem has primarily been that the Gunners aren’t using him correctly. Others are of the view that the Swede is an overrated phony whom the team need to move on from quickly.
I’ve always been somewhere in the middle — I think Gyökeres is a good player and excellent finisher with some pretty obvious technical deficiencies. The divide in opinion around him exists because he offers almost everything other Arsenal players don’t and almost nothing other Arsenal players do. He continued in that vein on Saturday, replacing Jesus after a heroic international break in which he scored four goals in two games to propel Sweden to this summer’s World Cup, and finding the back of the net again to draw the Gunners level. It was a smart, composed finish; he let Havertz’s ball run across his body from left to right before side-footing it past the keeper to make it 1-1.
That goal now means that Gyökeres sports 17 goals in all competitions. The former Sporting man has more goals for Arsenal right now than any other Gunner has total goal contributions. I’d say that’s a pretty solid return. Up next for the in-form striker is his former team.
Fallers
Ben White
As was the case for Gyökeres, I think White’s international form bled into his first game back for his club on Saturday. Of course, in this case it’s not a good thing. White began his triumphant return to the England camp by scoring for his country against Uruguay. Unfortunately, he then gave up a penalty. And he didn’t cover himself in glory against Japan either.
Sadly, things didn’t improve for him at Southampton. He was consistently caught high up the pitch, leaving the right side of Arsenal’s defense vacated for the Saints to charge into repeatedly. He also struggled in his defensive matchups; he won none of his six ground duels and committed five fouls. And then of course, is the error he committed leading to goal. White misjudged his jump for a rather routine ball to the back post, allowing it to fall to Ross Stewart for the Scottish striker to score.
All in all, I can’t help but worry that I’m looking at a player who has given what he can. White has played a lot of minutes since his arrival at Arsenal, and that’s after Brighton and Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds leaned on him heavily as well. The wear and tear is showing in a big way. I still think White can spell a player like Jurriën Timber here and there, but I think it’s looking increasingly like that Arsenal need to make plans for life without him.
Gabriel Jesus
Speaking of players who don’t have much left in the tank at this level, Jesus also falls into this category. (Use this space in insert a joke of your choosing regarding Jesus having risen, Easter, etc.) Essentially, he did none of the things I’ve come to demand of an Arsenal striker in 2026. He very often vacated central areas to go looking for the ball, which at times made finishing off an attack tricky. He also just isn’t able to press like he used to, a steep drop-off from a player who was once “the best defensive forward in the world”.
By the time he was replaced by Gyökeres, Jesus had failed to effect the game. He managed two shots, both off target. He created one chance worth 0.03 xA. He didn’t complete any of his dribbles or deliver any accurate crosses. It is another game that has passed him by. I don’t think he has many more of those left at Arsenal.
Kepa Arrizabalaga
As long as David Raya stays healthy, Saturday was probably Kepa’s final appearance of the season. And he didn’t give a great account of himself. When a Southampton forward charged toward Arsenal’s goal with Mosquera in tow after Gabriel’s loose back pass, the Spanish keeper threw himself to the ground, ready to concede the goal. In addition to that, he needlessly blasted the ball out of play on multiple occasions, handing possession back to a Southampton side that looked plenty dangerous on the day. I also don’t think he was all that convincing on either of the hosts’ goals.
After a certain point, it isn’t a great use of time to critique a backup keeper. They’re backups for a reason. Outside of the likes of Caoihmhin Kelleher when he was at Liverpool and James Trafford at City, your second-string goalie is almost never going to be an elite man between the sticks. But Kepa has been found incredibly wanting in his last two appearances.
Myles Lewis-Skelly
One conversation that seemed to almost consume the international break was that of Lewis-Skelly’s minimal usage in this Arsenal team. His carrying and physicality on the ball, his willingness to drive directly at opponents and force decisions, has at times felt like something the Gunners could really use this season. After a great performance against Moldova in a qualification match for the U21 Euros many, including myself, were clamoring for Lewis-Skelly to be tried in midfield.
Unfortunately, circumstances at left back required the young Englishman to play there at Southampton. And, not for the first time this season, Lewis-Skelly looked a little out of his depth. Like White, his defensive positioning was often exposed by the hosts as he ventured into midfield. He didn’t impress me on the ball, either. He completed just once pass into the final third, created one chance worth 0.09 xA, and only managed 36 touches. In particular, I remember one moment when he savvily turned away from pressure, only to wildly boot the ball out of play when attempting to pass across the pitch.
Something that I’ve noticed is that as Nico O’Reilly enjoys a spectacular breakout season, many Arsenal fans are desperate to bring up Lewis-Skelly whenever his City analog is mentioned. But the fact is, the Hale End product isn’t at that level right now. Which is okay! Player development is not linear. But we are seeing why Lewis-Skelly has only played 1,358 minutes so far in the 2025/26 campaign, and mostly in bits seeing out comfortable matches or starts in lower-stakes affairs. It’s been a down season for him. I still think he’ll bounce back, though.
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