Exclusive: Mikel Arteta trusts wounded Arsenal side to ‘adapt’ amid injury crisis, hails academy graduates

February 25, 2025 Timo Uncategorized 0

Exclusive: Mikel Arteta trusts wounded Arsenal side to ‘adapt’ amid injury crisis, hails academy graduates

As the team struggles with injuries, Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, is urging his players to be “adaptable.”

Being adaptable and “trusting” his players has allowed The Gunners to remain competitive, according to Arteta, who identified the

absence of “very, very important players” as one of his toughest tasks thus far this season in an exclusive interview with TNT

Sports.Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, and Kai Havertz, who have sustained long-term injuries requiring surgery this season, as well as

Gabriel Martinelli, who has been out of action in recent weeks, will not be playing for Arsenal when they play Nottingham Forest live

on TNT Sports and Discovery.

Ben White is only making a comeback from knee surgery that has kept him out of action since November, and Martin Odegaard
missed two months of activity earlier in the season.
In addition to summer acquisitions Ricardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino, defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has also been out for an
extended period of time.
“This season, we have changed a lot of things in relation to, unfortunately, what has happened,” Arteta stated.
Among these adjustments, the Gunners had to use midfielders Merino, who most recently played midfield, as a striker, and Thomas
Partey and Miles Lewis-Skelly in defensive positions.
“A lot is about trusting your players and finding other ways to do things,” Arteta stated.
“Obviously, things are quite different during the season when you’re without four of your most important attacking and
defensive players. It therefore comes down to flexibility while maintaining a high level of consistency and competitiveness.
They must [be flexible] because, in the end, you have to play to the players’ abilities and ensure that they understand what
they are supposed to do on the field. In the end, that’s what matters most for everything to go smoothly.”
The psychological side of coaching players who sustain severe injuries and attempting to keep them engaged with the club
despite extended absences was another topic Arteta covered.
“Every case is different,” he clarified. “I believe that players who have experienced significant injuries in the past are aware
of an action as soon as it occurs. You are aware of the repercussions of it. Others, like Kai, have never required surgery or
suffered a serious accident. You must describe it. He must experience that. “So it’s something that you have to adapt,
because suddenly your life is very different,” he says after spending a few days realizing that it’s a new procedure.
Regarding retaining wounded players in the team environment, he continued: “We

“They are very much involved, because, first of all, they want to be involved, and they don’t want to be missing now,

everything that is happening around the team.” However, it goes without saying that we travel frequently. That bond isn’t

always as strong when they’re fit, and we spend a lot of time away from the training field.”

A lot of attention was paid to the Gunners’ failure to bolster their roster during the January transfer window, a risk that

backfired due to Havertz and Martinelli’s injuries.

Arteta maintains that although Arsenal was active, no transactions could be finalized.

“Yeah, we certainly tried,” he admitted. As everyone is aware, we made that objective very evident and public, and

Arteta provided a thorough explanation of the many variables that go into finding and hiring the best “personality” of
player to enhance the Arsenal squad.
“Well, he has to be fit,” the Spaniard said. “The right profile, his background, his ability to fulfil the role that is going to be
asked, you know.” To enter a large club, a player must possess a specific status and personality in order to put on the shirt
and perform. “The more information you have, the better.” What league is he from, what is his education, his history, his
surroundings, and his past actions? How useful this is for adjusting to a whole different challenge. What role does this
player play?
Teenagers Ethan Nwaneri and Miles Lewis-Skelly, who have shown promise in what has been a breakthrough season for
the academy graduates, are two players the Gunners manager is pleased to have in his side.
Arteta says he is happy with both players’ development and that Arsenal’s “DNA” is to continue developing young players
in the hopes that they will eventually make the move to the first squad.
“The way they impressed us since they’ve been with us,” he added. Throughout the preseason, it was more constant in how
we, the team, and the players felt about them and how they could help us get better, more prepared, and bring various
attributes. They both deserved the opportunity.
“It’s part of our DNA,” he continued, hoping to see more young players emerge. And our academy must always be the first
thing we consider when trying to improve the caliber of the team. “I love working with those young players because it’s
easier and better the more academy [players] we have who have the proper education, the right attitude toward the club,
and an understanding of what we want.” I enjoy giving opportunities, nurturing talent, and hopefully many more in the
future.
Arsenal hopes to get back to winning ways after losing to league leaders Liverpool by 11 points as they visit the City Ground.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*