Mikel Arteta has admitted that injuries have reshaped his season in ways that go far beyond team selection, affecting preparation, tactical planning and even longer-term squad management as Arsenal battle through one of the most disrupted campaigns of his tenure.
Mikel Arteta accepts that building a strong squad means little if key players cannot be relied upon to stay fit.
Speaking this week ahead of the trip to Aston Villa, Arteta said: “Well, we’ve built a squad that I believe was the best one to give us the possibility to do it.
“Is it what I want it to be? No, because of the injuries that we have, to have a squad means that the players have to be fit and available because that has a lot of consequences not only during matches but also in the way that we prepare for the week and the options that we have to change and keep the presence in the team.
“But certainly very happy with how we deal with certain situations.”
The cumulative physical toll is not limited to matchday disruption. Arteta believes the relentless schedule is damaging the broader quality of the game itself.
“The only thing I can say is that whenever it’s possible to help and give the players an extra day or hours to fulfil their maximum potential, let’s do it. That’s it. We are ready for tomorrow’s game, that’s for sure,” he said, while stopping short of directly blaming fixture congestion.
Asked whether the strain could eventually force clubs to drop off in competitions, Arteta said: “Hopefully we don’t get to that point and everything is manageable, we all learn from it and we carry on in what we do.”
This season’s problems follow the injury setbacks that marked last year, and Arteta said that experience has reshaped how he now approaches the situation. “You certainly learn from those situations. I think, looking for solutions and being positive and transmitting that positivity and belief to the team is the main thing because you cannot do anything about it.
“We have injuries that are totally uncontrollable, especially the ones that were long-term last season. This season, a lot of other things happened as well. Learn from the things that we can control as well and the areas that we can improve. First of all, myself, and take it as it comes and enjoy the ride.”
Rotation has at times been dictated by necessity rather than choice. Arteta accepted that true competition only exists when players are physically available. “We haven’t had this situation too many times, I think the problem would be the other one, that you bring somebody in and he doesn’t perform, and then the decision is so easy, not to play him again.
“We are not in that position, which is the position that we want to be in, which is exactly that. We have people in contention, whether it’s to start the game or to finish the game, or to play whenever the team needs his qualities. That’s what we have at the moment with every player.”
Looking ahead, he stressed that even the idea of having everyone fit has become a rarity across the domestic game. “I hope that we are in that position and then again, we can maintain and decide for the freshness of the team and what is required on that day, what is the best squad to take. A problem that obviously a lot of clubs in this country are very familiar with.”
The injury situation is also shaping thinking beyond immediate fixtures. Asked whether it could affect January transfer planning, Arteta was clear that flexibility is now essential. “We always have to be prepared. I mean, the moment that we have an option to touch the squad, to bring to the squad or to protect the squad, depending on what happens, I think we need to be open, for example, one what’s going to happen from here till the window is closed as well, it’s football.
“So we don’t know, but we’re certainly going to be alert and we know where the risk can come in terms of the squad, and be ready just in case we have to do something.”
However, he dismissed the idea of trimming the squad in January as things stand. “Well, at the moment, obviously, we haven’t had a situation, as we mentioned before, that players are out of the squad for three or four weeks in a row. At the moment, we know that the squad we have, we are full-framing with the players that are fit. So, at the moment, it’s very clear that there’s no option to do that [sell players in January].”
You can read what Arteta had to say about the fitness of Declan Rice, William Saliba, Leandro Trossard, and Cristhian Mosquera ahead of Aston Villa this weekend here.