Mikel Arteta fears Arsenal’s title bid is hampered by injuries to Declan Rice and Cristhian Mosquera, questioning the Premier League’s fixture schedule.
LONDON: Mikel Arteta fears Arsenal’s mounting injury problems will hamper their Premier League title charge.
The concern follows Declan Rice and Cristhian Mosquera limping off during Wednesday’s 2-0 win against Brentford.
Arteta’s side moved five points clear of Manchester City with goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka at the Emirates Stadium.
The victory extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run to 18 matches across all competitions.
However, the win was marred by the loss of Spanish defender Mosquera just before half-time.
England midfielder Rice then appeared to be nursing a calf injury when substituted late in the match.
“Obviously it’s never good news. Declan had to come off. We don’t know. We have to see tomorrow what he’s got,” said Arteta.
The manager confirmed Rice could walk but not play, highlighting a congested fixture list.
Arsenal are already without injured first-choice centre-backs Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.
Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard are also sidelined, deepening the selection crisis.
Arteta had rested Saka, Jurrien Timber and Eberechi Eze for the Brentford match after a gruelling week.
All three were eventually needed as substitutes, prompting Arteta to question the schedule.
“We had a very demanding week at every level. We were asked to play three days later, with one less recovery day than them,” he said.
The manager called for better player welfare ahead of a testing trip to Aston Villa on Saturday.
“If they can please give us just a little more time to recover… that would be great,” Arteta added. – AFP
