You make some good points here to be fair and I think Arteta will think more along those lines.They'd be eaten alive. I'd rather put out our best team and lose a good battle than have our TNCL side battered senseless.
I don't think we have any secrets to hide by not starting our best XI or close to it, our game is there for all to see - stopping it is another matter.
I don't see the point in going for the title if you're running scared from the other contenders.