Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the press ahead of Arsenal’s last game before the World Cup and was asked about players being worried about getting injured before the tournament.
As Arsenal travel to Wolves for their last game of the first part of this split season, Mikel Arteta confirmed that the team have no new injury concerns.
Emile Smith Rowe is sidelined, with the 22yo expected back after the World Cup, much to Gareth Southgate’s disappointment. Takehiro Tomiyasu will also miss out but is expected to be fit for the World Cup.
With the Qatar World Cup now clearly on the horizon, many have been discussing players and their fears they might pick up an injury, ruling them out of the tournament. One reporter asked Arteta for his view on this issue and if he had any concerns.
“We’ve discussed that topic before and I always said to them, if you are thinking about an injury, it is probably going to happen,” Arteta said.
“I don’t know if it’s going to happen today, the next day, or the first day of your preparations for the World Cup, so get it out of your minds. You are professional athletes, and this risk is always there for you.
“Do your job and commit yourself to everything that you do in every action, and the risk will be less.”
Arteta was also asked if he would be attending the World Cup and how he felt about it being awarded to a country with such an awful human rights record.
“I would like to [go],” Arteta replied, “but I don’t know if we are going to be able to experience that.
“But I would like to experience that, and watch a few games, watch our players live but I don’t know if we’re going to be able to.
“The way the decision-making is at the top, it’s extremely difficult for us to have an opinion that will change the course of that decision [to host it in Qatar].
“Probably we have to change that pyramid which would take a lot of time and a big fight.
“I don’t know [if it is a mistake, something Sepp Blatter recently said it was], it’s what it is.
“You have to understand everything before that decision is made and I don’t have all the information to answer that question.”