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The impact we want to see off the bench

In rugby, there is an interesting terminology used to describe players who start on the bench.

Rather than spoken about as substitutes, they are known as 'finishers' - so do we need to change the way we think about those players in football too?

"Well certainly when you have five substitutes to make it is a different game and in rugby obviously the roles are different and when to use them than in football," Mikel Arteta said. 

"But it is true that we can find some similarities and there are players in certain games after certain minutes who can have a huge impact depending on the result and what you need to change the game."

Much was made externally about the decision to start Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the bench against Slavia Prague on Thursday night, but he came on and claimed an assist for Nicolas Pepe.

"We talked before the Europa League and said that everybody has contributed in different ways," Arteta said. 

"The whole squad has been involved and yesterday's role for him was to sit on the bench and make an impact. He had that impact because he assisted Nico, and he should have also scored a tap-in with his left foot. That's what players have to do when they come in."

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