Arsenal are thriving under Mikel Arteta, with the first-team still unbeaten, but a problem is now emerging.
Arteta was criticised in the past for not giving opportunities to academy players, but he has silenced those critics, with several youngsters playing a part in the first-team this season.
Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly have appeared in the Premier League, with Lewis-Skelly also making his Champions League debut, whilst several Hale End Academy talents played in a Carabao Cup victory over Bolton.
Some have been included in matchday squads in major competitions, with Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri and young attacker Nathan Butler-Oyedeji on the bench as unused substitutes in Arsenal’s victory over Southampton.
However, whilst Arteta’s inclusion of the youngsters was well-intentioned, it has caused a wider issue which needs addressing.
Arsenal under-21s suffer humiliating defeat to Tottenham Hotspur
Two hours before Arsenal kicked off against Southampton at the Emirates, the under-21s played a North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur at Meadow Park.
Arsenal went 2-0 up at home, but much like the senior Spurs side did in 2012, they collapsed and lost 5-2.
Several key players including Josh Nichols and Maldini Kacurri were included, but there were notable absences in Lewis-Skelly and Butler-Oyedeji.
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With Nwaneri considered a first-team player now, Lewis-Skelly and Butler-Oyedeji have thrived for the under-21s, with the latter winning the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for August.
However, their side badly missed them whilst they were with the first-team, but it is now questionable whether this sacrifice was worth it.
Lewis-Skelly is perhaps in the same bracket as Nwaneri as being of too high a level to continue playing regular academy football, but the pair were unused against Southampton, whilst their youth teammates were being thrashed by their bitter rivals.
Butler-Oyedeji is also 21, meaning that academy football could be of less use to him, but with all of them failing to see the pitch against Southampton, they missed out on any game time at any level.
When the first-team and under-21s play at the same time, it may be more valuable for someone like Butler-Oyedeji to continue his strong form at academy level, rather than being an unused substitute for the first-team.
Having their best players available could in turn help the rest of the under-21 players improve their own performances and results, and the overall benefit could mean that Arteta has to deselect some youngsters whenever games clash.