Mikel Arteta has built one of the deepest, most talented squads in Arsenal’s modern history, yet the narrow FA Cup escape at Mansfield Town underlined how incomplete his education in rotation remains.

Arsenal’s 2-1 win, secured by substitute Eberechi Eze’s thumping strike into the roof of the net, kept alive the prospect of an unprecedented quadruple. It was their 35th victory in all competitions this season, already a new high under Arteta, with the possibility of 19 more matches to come if they go the distance at home and in Europe.

Arteta’s selection reflected both ambition and anxiety. Keen to protect key players after a draining midweek league win at Brighton, he made sweeping changes and handed starts to two 16-year-olds, Marli Salmon and Max Dowman. Dowman, at 16 years and 66 days, became Arsenal’s youngest-ever FA Cup starter, a symbol of the club’s faith in its academy and the manager’s willingness to gamble.

The real risk, however, lay in Arteta’s tactical experiment. For the first time in 246 matches, Arsenal began with a back three, a shape they had not used from the start since a heavy defeat at Manchester City in 2021. On a bobbly, heavily watered pitch designed to disrupt their rhythm, the Gunners looked disjointed and uneasy.

Leandro Trossard’s first-half injury forced an early rethink. Defender Piero Hincapié came on, the back three was abandoned, and within minutes Noni Madueke swept in Arsenal’s 100th goal of the season. The question lingered: why change a system that has underpinned their resurgence, and rehearse it only once, for 10 minutes, on the training ground?

Arteta pointed to player availability and the need to manage workloads, but Mansfield’s spirited response exposed the fine margins. Will Evans capitalised on a loose pass from Salmon and hesitant defending from Cristhian Mosquera to level, before Eze’s introduction tilted the tie back Arsenal’s way.

Eze’s cameo, decisive yet brief, encapsulated another tension. Many supporters want him trusted with a sustained run and creative freedom, but his Arsenal career remains punctuated by short, explosive contributions rather than extended influence.

Dowman’s display offered a different kind of promise. On a treacherous surface and under physical pressure, his balance, awareness of space and speed of touch hinted at rare talent. Arteta hailed him as “exceptional,” yet must now judge how often to expose such a young player to this intensity.

With injuries to Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori adding to the strain before a daunting Champions League trip to Bayer Leverkusen, the lesson is clear. Arsenal’s depth is real, but harnessing it without destabilising the team remains Arteta’s most delicate task as the chase for four trophies tightens.