Can Arsenal cope without the league’s most influential player?

Their defensive colossus is the one player they don’t want to be missing in title chase.

- By Simon Collings

In Arsenal’s newfound era of squad depth, it is hard to say who their most indispensable player is. In previous seasons the answer would have been Bukayo Saka, but the arrival of Noni Madueke in the summer has eased the burden on him.

Saka has started 11 of Arsenal's 17 games this season, yet they are top of the Premier League and boast a 100 per cent record in the Champions League. The Gunners have also coped with the absence of captain Martin Odegaard, who has started just five games, and with Kai Havertz playing only 30 minutes all season.

Even William Saliba, whose back injury towards the end of 2022-23 season almost single-handedly derailed Arsenal's title bid, has missed out on the starting XI four times.

Just two players have featured in every game this season, Declan Rice and Gabriel, and it is hard to think of anyone more influential than the pair.

Martin Zubimendi’s fast start to life in north London makes him a contender and, tactically, few could replicate what he does. But Gabriel and Rice have become the heartbeat of Mikel Arteta’s side as they bid to end Arsenal's 21-year wait to win the Premier League.