Annabel Rackham 
Annabel Rackham says Trust The Process
The much-needed refreshment of the Arsenal song book has been one of the many things to smile about as a fan over the last couple of years – with one song in particular evoking an emotion for plenty of us.
The ‘Saka and Smith Rowe’ song was one of the first new chants to ring around the stadium, bringing in a new era of Emirates earworms.
The academy pair basically saved the 2021-22 season, producing 21 Premier League goals and nine assists between them, with that song perfectly encapsulating the new energy and life that was breathed into the club.
While not much needs to be said about how Bukayo Saka kicked on from there, Emile Smith Rowe has been given the benefit of the doubt by fans off the back of those performances, despite not being able to replicate much of that blistering season in the subsequent ones.
There has been a lot of debate over the last few weeks about how we use our academy players and Smith Rowe is just one example of how as fans we often attach a lot of emotion when debating their performances.
The same can be said about Reiss Nelson, whose late winner against Bournemouth last season has also allowed him to escape a certain level of scrutiny.
Perhaps we need to be a bit more pragmatic when it comes to our homegrown talent.
We could see more clubs punished this year for FFP breaches and being able to sell academy players, which registers as pure profit for the club, could be a real asset for us as we try and find success domestically and in Europe. And in terms of making the academy an attractive and competitive place for young stars – we have to put faith in the skills of Per Mertesacker and Jack Wilshere.
Another former player we need to trust is Mikel Arteta.
He spends a lot more time watching our squad than we do, which means that we should respect who he selects.
Of course, as fans we don’t want to think about a world where someone like Saka wasn’t given a chance, but we have to think about the context.
Other clubs in the league are making headlines by playing teenagers, but some are struggling with injuries, whilst others just don’t have as much at stake as us.
As with many squad management decisions it’s all about balance, so let’s hope these players get their minutes between now and May.
Read the print version of the Gooner Fanzine for Annabel's regular column
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