Arteta’s Saliba Gamble Backfires at St James’ Park

This is the season Mikel Arteta has to deliver a major trophy — and every selection call will be scrutinised to the hilt. Having restored Arsenal to the conversation without lifting anything since the FA Cup in 2020, the 2025/26 campaign feels like judgement day for the manager.

Early warning signs in a defining season

So far, the Gunners have wobbled when it matters: beaten by Liverpool and clinging to a late draw against Manchester City. If you’re serious title contenders, you live and die in those head-to-heads. That’s why the trip to Newcastle — never a gentle evening — carried extra weight.

Selection at St James’ Park raises eyebrows

Arteta went with Gabriel and summer arrival Cristhian Mosquera at centre-half. The youngster has looked tidy since his move from Valencia, but St James’ Park is a different beast. Newcastle pressed, the place roared, and the hosts struck first — with some questioning whether Gabriel might have dealt better with Nick Woltemade before the opener. Mosquera, uncomfortable throughout the first period, was hooked at half-time for William Saliba.

Ogden’s gripe: Why the Port Vale 90?

ESPN’s Mark Ogden zeroed in on the plan. Arteta himself had hinted at caution over Saliba’s ability to churn through three matches in a week given past niggles — fair enough. But if that’s the stance, why give your best centre-back the full 90 in the Carabao Cup at Port Vale? That’s the sort of tie Arsenal should navigate without their defensive linchpin. The upshot: Saliba began on the bench at Newcastle and came on with the tone already set.

Rotation, priorities and the message it sends

Arsenal’s calendar is relentless: Champions League, two domestic cups, and a title push. Minute management is non‑negotiable, but so is hierarchy. In the biggest league fixtures, you start your top defender and protect him in the lower-risk games. Doing the reverse feels like penny wise, pound foolish. By the interval on Tyneside, Newcastle had the ascendancy and Arsenal were chasing.

What Arteta must fix — and fast

None of this writes off Mosquera — he’ll have good days and bad ones — but bedding in a young defender alongside Gabriel at a venue like this is a gamble. Saliba brings calm, authority and that first pass that gets Arsenal moving. In these marquee tests, he must be the first name on the team sheet, not the halftime rescue act.

Arteta has elevated standards at the Emirates, no doubt. But margins at the top are razor thin, and selection discipline is part of the job. If Arsenal are to finally convert promise into silverware, they need clarity on priorities and smarter rotation — especially at centre-back.

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Bottom line: Ogden’s critique hits a nerve because it speaks to the wider issue. Play your aces in the league’s biggest moments; save the legs in the cup ties you should handle. Arsenal can still make this season their own, but nights like St James’ Park can’t become a recurring theme.