One of the coaches who could be said to have the toughest jobs in the Premier League is Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal football club. He currently has about 7 of his first-team players with different degrees of injuries.
The injuries woes have compounded the bad run of games the club has been battling with since the 2019-2020 season restarted on June 17. In their first game of the restart of the season, Mikel Arteta‘s boys were humbled by Manchester City 3 goals to nothing.
Just like when the fans of the club thought they have seen the worst, Mikel Arteta fell in the hands of lowly rated Brighton 2-1 just like how they fell in their hands in December when they visited the Emirate Stadium.
On Thursday, June 25, Arsenal is having a date with 14th placed Southampton that beat relegation assured Norwich City 0-3 in their last game. Just like the fans, Mikel Arteta is in a state of anxiety because his players tend not to perform when they are most expected to couple with the long list of injured players in the club’s payroll.
Mikel Arteta Said he Knew What he was Jumping into
During a press conference on Tuesday, Mikel Arteta confessed that their streak of losses has made their dream of finishing the season in the top four almost impossible. He, however, noted that he knew what he was signing up for when he accepted to manage the club.
“I knew since I joined what I was jumping into,” Arteta said. “The past few seasons, what happened, I knew it wasn’t a coincidence.
“A lot of things have already changed at the club and are in evolution to change, even results and energy was changing just before the coronavirus. I cannot control everything.
“Now I don’t have [the players] in my hands as much as I would like during the day, because they are in and out, in and out and that is obviously not ideal for what we need as a team and as a club. But again, it’s not an excuse.
On their chances of getting into the four this season, Arteta said: “We will see the reaction now. When you are winning two or three games in a row, it’s easy, when you lose one it becomes a little bit more difficult.
“When you lose two in a row, two very different games that are completely different to assess, I want to see that reaction and how much they want it and how they’re going to react as a team as well as how they’re going to react as individuals and go for it.”
Here is the list of Arsenal players giving the coach headache ahead of their subsequent matches
Bernd Leno
The goalkeeper got injured during their match against Brighton at the weekend. According to reports from Arsenal official website, the goalkeeper sustained moderate ligament sprain in his right knee. He could return to full training in four to six weeks.
Granit Xhaka
He has just recovered from a sprained right ankle injury he sustained during their match against Manchester City. He is currently back to full training.
Sokratis
He is also back to full training following mild strain to the right thigh.
Pablo Mari
He is among the players that received hard knocks during their meeting with Manchester City. He is likely to stay out of football until next season due to a sprain to his left ankle ligaments.
Gabriel Martinelli
In his case, it is not certain how far he will stay out of football. He is still battling to recover from a cartilage injury on his left knee he sustained during training.
Cedric Soares
He is in the process of recovering. He sustained nasal fracture which will keep him out of football for at least two matches.
Lucas Torreira
He has been out of football since March 2 due to a fracture to his right ankle which he sustained during a non-league match against Portsmouth. He is expected to return to full training three weeks time.
Calum Chambers
He has been out since December 29 with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee he sustained during Arsenal match against Chelsea. He will remain out of football until next season.
David Luiz
He is not injured but he is serving his red card which he got during Arsenal’s encounter with Manchester City. He is expected to miss one more match after that of Southampton
