Mikel Arteta has played down concerns over Arsenal’s numerous absences for Sunday’s blockbuster Premier League encounter with Liverpool, demanding his team “get on with it”.
The Gunners could potentially be without as many as eight first-team players. William Saliba will definitely be absent after picking up a needless red card in last weekend’s defeat to Bournemouth and is set to be joined on the sidelines by his injured defensive colleagues; Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, despite a positive update, will also likely miss the visit of Liverpool. There is hope that Bukayo Saka can recover in time to go up against the Premier League leaders, but Arteta has not used this long list of absentees as an excuse.
“[There will be] a lot of drawing,” Arsenal‘s defiant head coach told reporters while previewing the weekend clash. “A lot of possibilities, a lot of ifs. Probably the team that we start won’t be the team that finishes the game.
“It happens every week. I have to prepare for the scenarios: What happens if, what contexts the game throws at you and how prepared we are after to make the changes we need to do. Who’s available to play 90 minutes, who is not? That’s always the case.
“Obviously we didn’t want to be in that situation, but we are really lucky as well to have the squad that we have, to have the players that we have, to have the attitude that we have.”
Arteta could still line up with four-time Premier League champion Oleksandr Zinchenko and £20m centre-back Jakub Kiwior as experienced defensive reinforcements. The teenage talents of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri offer more youthful alternatives.
“When it comes down to reacting against a difficult situation, we don’t feel sorry for ourselves – face it,” Arteta insisted. “We are a team that we know how good we are as well and how difficult we can be for the opponents. And having that ruthless mentality is something that I love.
“I love watching individuals and teams react to that. It is a [down] look? I hate it. I haven’t seen it in the staff, I haven’t seen it upstairs, I haven’t seen anyone talk about it.
“Get on with it. Get on with it. Show your teeth. Show how much you want it. This means opportunities for other people, opportunities for us as a team to rebel against certain situations. We need…
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