Arteta tries out strange formation versus Mansfield

Arteta started with a three-man defence due to his decision to rest players while others are carrying injuries.

Teenager Marli Salmon, Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori started in the patched-up defence.

Asked how many training sessions he had practised this set-up in training, Arteta said: “Yes, once. Ten minutes.”

Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes and Martin Zubimendi were all rested while the likes of William Saliba are injured.Arteta said: “Well, they had issues and they’ve been carrying issues.

“And the amount of games that we are playing, it’s obviously super-demanding.

“And it was the only time to try to make sure that we can clean those issues that they’re having to start the next sequence of two weeks before the break in the best possible way.

“And we had to make those decisions.“It was a challenge for all of us to see how we could adapt to that, which I expected in very difficult circumstances.”

Arsenal visit Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

They are now also sweating on the fitness of Leandro Trossard and Calafiori who also asked to be replaced during the game.

Arteta said: “Both of them had little niggles. They were not comfortable to continue.

“And I knew that this could be a possibility, especially in the conditions that we’re playing today.

“So we had to take them off.”.