Mikel Arteta is not asking for a tactical advantage. He is asking for a structural change.
The Arsenal manager has publicly called on the Premier League to modify the rules governing how many players can be included in a matchday squad. His argument is not about flexibility for coaches. It is about protecting players from physical overload, emotional strain, and the quiet damage that comes from being repeatedly left out.
For a team like Arsenal, competing intensely across four competitions, the issue is becoming increasingly difficult to manage. Arteta believes the current restrictions no longer fit the modern calendar.
Every week, Arteta faces a decision that has nothing to do with performance. Two or three players must be excluded from the squad simply because the rules demand it.
Not because they trained poorly. Not because they are out of form. Not because they are injured.
They are excluded because there is no room on the team sheet.
Arteta has described this as one of the hardest parts of his job. He compared it to telling a professional chef to come to work but not cook, or to send them home while others do the job. For elite athletes, whose sense of value is deeply tied to participation, this creates an unnecessary psychological burden.
In competitions like the Champions League, squad flexibility is greater. Coaches can include more players in the matchday environment, even if they do not ultimately take the field. That difference, Arteta argues, allows managers to keep players feeling involved, motivated, and mentally connected to the team dynamic.
The Premier League, however, remains more restrictive.
Arsenal’s current campaign illustrates the issue clearly. The club is fighting on multiple fronts, balancing domestic league pressure, European commitments, and domestic cup competitions. This requires careful rotation, minute management, and strategic recovery periods for players.
Yet Arteta is often forced to weaken that rotation plan before the match even begins, simply because not everyone can travel or sit on the bench.
When players are overused, injuries follow. When they are excluded too often, confidence drops. The current system creates a lose-lose scenario for squad management.
Arteta’s proposal is straightforward: increase the number of outfield players allowed in the matchday squad, like the structure used in European competitions.
