'The margins are tiny' — manager on Arsenal's run-in

"You win these games in the last twenty minutes, and that means the bench has to be as good as the eleven," the manager says after training.

What it means

Arsenal's recent run has been defined by fine margins, and the staff have been open about wanting more control in the phases either side of half-time.

We know what the group is capable of. The job is to make that the standard rather than the exception.

Rotation has become the theme of the campaign, with the fixture congestion forcing changes that might otherwise have waited. The bench, on this evidence, is closer to the first eleven than it has been for some time.

What comes next

The schedule offers little respite, and Arsenal will need the squad players to hold the standard through a demanding block of fixtures.