Mikel Arteta highlights Arsenal injury problems with shock training admission ahead of Newcastle showdown

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Evening Standard

·6 January 2025

Mikel Arteta highlights Arsenal injury problems with shock training admission ahead of Newcastle showdown

Ethan Nwaneri latest Arsenal player to face spell on sidelines

Mikel Arteta says he cannot remember a run of injuries like the one Arsenal are trying to navigate now.

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The Gunners have been battling fitness issues all season and they lost captain Martin Odegaard for two months back in September after he injured his ankle playing for Norway.

Ben White underwent knee surgery in November and is still out, while Bukayo Saka tore his hamstring last month and will not return until March at the earliest.

Ethan Nwaneri has become the latest player to be struck down, picking up a muscle issue during Saturday’s draw at Brighton that will keep him out for a few weeks.

And asked if he can remember a run of injuries like this since he was hired as Arsenal manager in 2019, Arteta said: “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.

Arsenal have faced significant spells without key stars

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“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.”

Despite their injury issues, Arsenal are still in with a hunt of winning all four trophies this season.

They are hosting Newcastle on Tuesday in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals at Emirates Stadium.

“I love it,” said Arteta, when asked if he has enjoyed this season. “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.”