Arsenal bounced back from their first defeat of the season by coming from behind to claim a 2-1 win over Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The Gunners have started the defence of their Premier League crown in strong fashion so far, winning five of their six games, while they also progressed to the fourth round of the EFL Cup with a win over Ipswich, and won their opening Champions League game away at Napoli.

Now, Mikel Arteta's side are preparing to return to European competition when they host French side Lille on Tuesday night, ahead of what is a busy schedule in the coming weeks, where they will also face off against Nottingham Forest, Bayern Munich, Everton, Fleetwood, Liverpool, Slavia Prague, and Hull before the next international break.

Arsenal have built one of the strongest squads in European football over recent years, with incredible strength and depth across the pitch, and that will need to be used over upcoming weeks in order to get the best results while keeping everyone fresh.

A few players who will certainly benefit from that are Gabriel Magalhaes, Declan Rice, and Bukayo Saka, who have been key members of Arteta's squad and are almost always in the starting lineup when they are fit and available.

But Arsenal and Arteta won't want all of them to sit out of games at the same time, and they can use the depth and strength they have to rotate the squad at different stages while still being strong enough to win every game.

A game against Lille, a side currently sitting second in Ligue 1 with just one defeat in six games so far, may not be the ideal situation, but the Gunners team is also more than strong enough to cope, and they will be expected to win the game quite comfortably at home.

The defence is currently dealing with some issues with fitness, so Gabriel's quality and experience will be needed, while Rice's ability in midfield is something that will be needed against an energetic and athletic midfield. But in attack, Arteta has some more options, and this is the perfect chance for Max Dowman to get a start.

'Unbelievable' Dowman Deserves Start

Bukayo Saka is very much the first name on the teamsheet when it comes to the Arsenal attack, and there is no doubting that he has earned that spot. But he is also not completely immune to criticism and bad performances, and his recent performances have seen him begin to look a bit tired and leggy.

For England he performed well, playing the majority of the games, but against Leeds he was poor. He struggled to beat his full-back or create much, and then should have scored in the final action of the game only to miss a clear-cut one on one.

A rest wouldn't be the end of the world for the winger, and Arsenal have a brilliant replacement waiting in the wings in Dowman, who looks ready to make a huge splash this season despite being just 16.

After scoring twice in the EFL Cup win over Ipswich, Arteta heaped praise on the teenager for his performance.

With Madueke seemingly starting on the left in the absence of Christos Tzolis, while Eberechi Eze is also pushing to start there, Dowman could step in on the right and make a real splash.

Arteta could make a statement by handing him a start, showing his faith in youth while also showing that everyone is capable of being left out for any game if their performances dip. This is the perfect chance to kick off those rotations and statements, and Dowman is ready to make a huge impact.