Arsene Wenger has insisted that he is delighted by the depth that his Arsenal squad boasts following the return of several players from injury.
Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey have all come back into the first-team fold in recent weeks after spells on the sidelines, while youngsters Hector Bellerin and Francis Coquelin have increased competition for places further.
Wenger will have even more resources to call upon when Jack Wilshere and Danny Welbeck are fit again over the next fortnight, and he has stressed that competition is vital for a club of Arsenal's stature.
"People reproach you when you have no competition on the bench. When there is one, they question you as well," he told reporters. "It is true there is competition for places at the moment, that is a luxury that only a club of our stature can afford.
"It can make the players better, because the competition inside the club is always very important to keep the players on their toes. These [Walcott and Ozil] are players who are in a bit of a special position, it is not their quality which is questioned, it is just the fact they have just come back from long-term injuries.
"The best XI I have in my head can change every week. We are in a world where competition is vital and competition is just down to performance in the last game."
Wenger is expected to rotate his squad for their FA Cup fourth-round clash with Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.
Joe Fish
