Arsenal: Four players fail Mikel Arteta audition as key selection decision made

Opportunity knocked for Gunners fringe against Napoli in the Champions League, but no one answered

Work out how many changes you think makes sense, considering the opposition and where the game falls in both the schedule and list of priorities.

Then take at least two off that. And make sure Declan Rice is not one of them.

Follow that and you will not be far off, for Arteta is not one to make significant changes, particularly to players he views as indispensable.

Ask him about rotation and you will get an answer on the need for players to be robust and ready to play 60 games a season if they are to get to the top level.

However, making four changes for the win over Napoli on Wednesday night suggested Arteta is coming around to the idea that more rotation might be essential to ensure Arsenal last the distance domestically and in Europe this season.

The problem is that those who came into the side failed their audition. Arsenal's 1-0 victory almost felt in spite of those players, rather than because of them.

Frustration: Viktor Gyokeres was unable to grab his starting chance for Arsenal against Napoli

Piero Hincapie, Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino have all made important contributions off the bench in recent weeks.

This was their chance to put their hands up for more significant involvement in the Premier League, to give Arteta a real selection headache. That did not materialise.

Hincapie has been effective at coming on late and helping see out a lead with his relentless intensity in defending.

However, the drop off in attack from what Riccardo Calafiori offers to Hincapie's level in the final third was stark.

Calafiori has two assists and a goal this season and even that might underplay just how significant his unpredictability and quality in attack has been.

For Hincapie, it was a struggle. He inverted without really looking comfortable. The final ball was lacking and, when it did drop to him two yards out at the back post, he somehow ballooned over the crossbar.

That was a terrible miss but otherwise it feels harsh to criticise Hincapie too strongly. Marauding around attacking areas is not just his game. If Arsenal can keep Calafiori fit, he must keep starting in the league.

In the Premier League, Arteta’s circle of trust is likely to remain small

Eze made the difference off the bench against Aston Villa and Merino has been the ideal squad player to bring on, capable of offering calm and technical security in attack or in midfield.

However, Eze was very quiet against Napoli beyond a couple of shots from distance. That was in contrast to the efficiency Christos Tzolis then offered as a substitute, assisting Martin Odegaard's winner.

Merino should have ensured Arsenal were already ahead by that point, but he headed straight at the goalkeeper when completely free.

This was not a performance to elevate him to being a starter. Myles Lewis-Skelly has been superb this season and Bruno Guimaraes will also surely get his chance to start once fully fit.

Up front, Viktor Gyokeres struggled. He had nine touches in 73 minutes. Kai Havertz had 13 after replacing him.

This should have been a good game scenario for him. Arsenal were camped in the Napoli half, Odegaard was at his creative best, and Gyokeres had bodies around him. There was no need for him to hold the play up or combine intricately.

Quiet night: Eberechi Eze did not have much of an impact at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

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Get in the box, find space, and score was about the sum of his requirements.

He failed on all three counts. Arsenal had 26 shots and Gyokeres had none of them. Hincapie and Ben White had more touches in the Napoli box.

Havertz is the clear starting striker and this performance will have confirmed some other selection decisions in Arteta's mind, too.

Those players still have key roles to play as Arteta's 'finishers', but none pushed themselves into his thinking over who to start on Saturday night against Sunderland.

This was still a very positive trip to Italy for Arsenal. They dominated Napoli and could easily have scored three or four goals.

The only negative was the poor finishing, without which Arteta might have been able to give Rice and Odegaard a rest in the second half.

The rotated cast will likely get another chance next week, when Arsenal travel to Ipswich in the Carabao Cup.

Arteta will shuffle his pack for that but, in the league, the circle of trust is likely to remain small.