Arsenal have suffered a number of injury problems this season after recently losing Bukayo Saka for two months and Mikel Arteta has been left baffled by the ongoing fitness issues his side are facing
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted the team’s injury crisis is the worst he has seen at the club – after Ethan Nwaneri became the latest star to suffer a set-back.
The Gunners have been battling with fitness issues across the board in this campaign, having already lost captain Martin Odegaard for a lengthy spell earlier on.
Ben White is currently sidelined after undergoing knee surgery in November while Bukayo Saka is out for two months after tearing his hamstring in a major blow.
Other affected players include defender Takehiro Tomiyasu and winger Raheem Sterling, who are also nursing knee problems, while Kai Havertz has been struggling with illness.
Arsenal were handed another setback on top of their injury crisis after Jurrien Timber was suspended for the 1-1 draw to Brighton, meaning Thomas Partey had to fill in at right-back.
Speaking ahead his side’s Carabao Cup semi-final clash against Newcastle, Arteta was asked if he had faced an injury crisis like this. He replied: “Probably not. It’s a very good learning process, not only tactically but with preparation and training with very few players.
“Today we had seven, eight players with us and just [had] to fill the squad, which is unknown. But it is a way to learn as well, this is how I take it. I cannot change it, so let’s take the things that we can get out of them to be better. We discuss about the situation obviously and we have to use players in positions they have probably not played before.
“But we are learning a lot from that, and what I learn about the willingness of the team, anyone on the field and them. So that’s great as well to learn from the players.”
Arsenal are six points behind league leaders Liverpool in the Premier League this season after struggling to keep pace with the Reds amid their injury woes, but they are still in the running to win the Carabao Cup. When asked if he has enjoyed this season, Arteta replied: “I love it. I mean, we are in all the competitions, we are where we want to be in most of them.
“Obviously in the league there’s been a lot of circumstances, we’re not where we want to be which is top and I understand that and we work every day to try to be better to improve, and don’t look for excuses.
“Because in anything you do you look for excuses you find them, these are challenges these are situations that we are facing and we are trying to overcome them and we are still a really good team.”
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