Bukayo Saka injury: Mikel Arteta blame verdict delivered as Arsenal replacements analysed

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta cannot beryllium wholly blamed for Bukayo Saka's superior hamstring injury, but determination were opportunities missed to restrict the winger's minutes, Gunners adept Charles Watts has said.

Arsenal mislaid their Hale End prima successful the archetypal fractional of Saturday's 5-1 Premier League triumph implicit Crystal Palace, and Arteta has since confirmed that he volition beryllium sidelined for "many weeks" with a torn muscle, the astir superior wounded of his fledlging vocation truthful far.

Reports person claimed that Saka could beryllium successful the attraction country until March, ruling him retired of a plethora of cardinal fixtures betwixt present and the spring, and Watts believes that the interaction of the 23-year-old's lack connected this Arsenal squad cannot beryllium overstated.

"Absolutely massive," Watts told Sports Mole erstwhile asked however large a stroke losing Saka is. "We've each feared it for a long, agelong time, but it was going to hap astatine immoderate point. He's a machine. He's a robot. He's managed to enactment mostly wounded free. He's ne'er had a atrocious injury. When helium has been out, it's conscionable been for a mates of weeks.

"Arsenal are conscionable truthful utilized to him being determination each week to beryllium capable to effort and propulsion thing retired of container and to beryllium the lynchpin of the attack. And present this is the archetypal clip that they're going to person to effort and find a mode to triumph and support winning without him implicit a monolithic play of time. Everything goes done Saka successful attack. He's not scored immense amounts of goals this season, but he's contributed to a monolithic bulk of Arsenal's goals. He's either acceptable them up, scored oregon played a cardinal part. And that right-hand broadside from Arsenal is conscionable truthful integral to what they do.

"Mikel Arteta admitted arsenic overmuch erstwhile helium spoke astir it, but helium did effort and look astatine it from different constituent of view. It's an opportunity. Saka I'm definite is going to beryllium perfectly devastated due to the fact that he's ne'er had to woody with thing similar this before. But Arsenal can't spend to consciousness atrocious for themselves. They've got to find a mode to win. They managed it for a spot erstwhile Odegaard went retired and past it began to get excessively overmuch for them. They can't spend for that to hap again.

"They person to proceed winning and doing it each azygous week due to the fact that Liverpool aren't going to beryllium dropping galore points. That's beauteous clear. If they privation to enactment successful this rubric race, they've got to find a mode to triumph without him. Saka's that feline for Arsenal who volition measurement up successful a cardinal infinitesimal erstwhile things aren't going well. They request idiosyncratic other to beryllium that large infinitesimal feline present successful the attack. It's going to beryllium absorbing if they tin find one."

Rodri, Salah examination made aft superior Saka injury

Saka's lengthy layoff deprives Arsenal of a subordinate who has been progressive successful 21 goals successful 24 games this play - 9 of his ain and 13 assists - with lone Mohamed Salah mounting up much goals than the Englishman successful the existent Premier League campaign.

Saka has ne'er missed much than 9 consecutive matches for nine and state successful his career, but the attacker is apt to beryllium missing astir 14 games crossed 4 antithetic competitions (Premier League, Champions League, EFL Cup and FA Cup) if helium is retired for 2 months arsenic feared.

Two of Saka's backups from the 2023-24 run - Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson - were loaned retired successful the summertime transportation window, and a genu wounded to Chelsea loanee Raheem Sterling has besides constricted Arsenal's options connected that side.

For Watts, Arsenal losing Saka is connected par with Manchester City losing Rodri - whom the champions person crumbled without - oregon Liverpool being without Salah for months connected end, saying: "He's 1 of Arsenal's champion players. Every squad has got their champion player.

"Manchester City, they can't spend to beryllium without Rodri. If Liverpool were to suffer Mo Salah for 3 months, it'd beryllium a immense stroke to them. And that's wherefore there's ever speech astir has Saka been overplayed, which I tin understand, but it's his archetypal wounded successful 4 oregon 5 years. He's 1 of Arsenal's champion players, truthful he's conscionable ever going to play due to the fact that he's 1 of the champion players successful the team.

"This play of each seasons, they've really tried to negociate his minutes much and they person managed his minutes amended than they person previously, but it's inactive not been enough. On the backmost of a summertime tourney arsenic well, we've seen truthful galore players autumn abbreviated with these injuries.

'Liverpool volition beryllium licking lips aft Saka injury'

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"There's nary contiguous backup to him successful the squad. They've brought Raheem Sterling in, he's got injured astatine the aforesaid time. I don't deliberation helium would person truly been the reply anyway, but helium astir apt would person got much minutes than we've seen. The squad are going to person to instrumentality this connected their shoulders present and they're going to person to measurement up and effort and capable the void. It's going to beryllium a truly pugnacious inquire for Arsenal.

"It's intolerable for maine to beryllium present and accidental present they've got arsenic bully a accidental arsenic they had a week agone of catching Liverpool. They haven't. Their chances person taken a huge, immense blow, there's nary uncertainty astir that. Arne Slot volition beryllium licking his lips, each the Liverpool players volition arsenic well, knowing that Arsenal are going to beryllium without Saka for 3 months."

A Saka-less Arsenal inactive person a six-point spread to marque up to Liverpool successful the Premier League table, and Arteta's men are warring for glory connected 4 fronts heading into 2025, besides occupying 3rd spot successful the Champions League standings and connected the verge of sealing a last-16 place.

The Gunners should truthful beforehand consecutive to the past 16, which begins successful March, but Saka volition besides beryllium unavailable for January 12's FA Cup opener against Manchester United and some legs of their EFL Cup semi-final with Newcastle United aboriginal adjacent year.

On Arsenal's hopes of winning a trophy with their academy starlet missing, Watts added: "It's going to beryllium a overmuch tougher inquire without Saka now. They've had a truly horrible FA Cup gully arsenic well. It's conscionable astir uncovering a mode to woody with it. Arsenal person inactive got bully players. They bushed Man City past play astatine location for the archetypal clip successful truthful galore years, and that was without Saka.

"They tin triumph without Saka. There's nary uncertainty they tin win. They've got the players who tin assistance them cope. But I deliberation the cardinal happening is conscionable the magnitude of clip that he's going to beryllium out. It's not conscionable winning a mates of games. It's winning consistently astatine the important signifier of the season, erstwhile silverware is present connected the line.

Who should Arsenal's first-choice Saka replacement be?

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"So they're going to beryllium a weaker team. They're inactive going to beryllium a beardown team, and I deliberation they'll inactive triumph plentifulness of games. But it's really, truly damaged their chances, I think, of winning important silverware this season."

Saka was replaced by Leandro Trossard astatine Selhurst Park, a determination which saw Gabriel Martinelli shifted retired to the right-hand side, wherever helium played a captious relation successful Kai Havertz's extremity earlier scoring himself successful the 2nd period.

The in-form Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri tin besides supply screen connected that side, but Watts wants to spot Martinelli fixed a longer tally of games successful that position, adding: "I'd determination Martinelli to the right.

"Just due to the fact that of the signifier Jesus is successful up top, I deliberation it'd beryllium a shame to determination him retired to the right-hand side. Certainly for Ipswich, Martinelli connected the right, Jesus up front, astir apt Trossard connected the near and Havertz down with Martin Odegaard. There's inactive goals there. That's astir apt what I would look for initially. Jesus connected the close is decidedly an absorbing option, I deliberation it's decidedly an enactment we'll spot Mikel Arteta usage arsenic well.

"He said successful his property conference, he's really not definite what he's going to bash yet. I'm not definite that's true, I'm definite he's astir apt got a just idea, but helium said he's inactive mulling implicit the antithetic options. He's going to speech to the players and spot what they're comfy with, which I thought was rather absorbing erstwhile helium was saying that. But I'm definite he's got a beauteous wide thought successful his head, adjacent though he's not telling america what helium volition effort and bash to spot if it works."

Saka's wounded came connected his 250th quality for Arsenal, and the 23-year-old is the third-youngest subordinate to deed that milestone for the Gunners aft Cesc Fabregas and all-time grounds appearance-maker David O'Leary.

Why Arteta is not afloat to blasted for Saka injury

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Fabregas and O'Leary some forged palmy careers successful North London, but quality of Saka's layoff reignited the statement astir whether Arteta is overplaying the attacker, who has started 22 matches crossed the Premier League, EFL Cup and Champions League.

The lone times Arteta has chosen to driblet Saka from the archetypal XI were successful the EFL Cup wins implicit Preston North End and Crystal Palace, but helium was inactive fixed 28 minutes disconnected the seat successful the erstwhile match, contempt the effect being a foregone conclusion.

Watts truthful feels that Arteta could person resisted the impulse to propulsion him connected a mates of times, but a superior occupation was inevitable, saying: "He's 23 and this is his archetypal important injury. Players get injured. Lots of radical present volition constituent the digit and say, 'oh, well, I told you so.' But you've been benignant of telling america truthful for the past 4 years and he's not been injured. He's a winger. Wingers get hamstring injuries.

"There's decidedly been opportunities erstwhile Mikel could person utilized him less. Some games he's not been playing, they're 3-0 up and they brought him on, bash you request to bash that? Probably not. But helium is 1 of Arsenal's champion players, and the champion players successful teams play the bulk of the games.

"When helium goes to England, he's 1 of England's champion players, truthful the England manager volition play him - overmuch to the annoyance of Arsenal fans, but they volition play him due to the fact that he's 1 of the champion players successful the England squad. Hindsight's a fantastic thing, isn't it? At immoderate constituent this was conscionable going to happen, and they've got to woody with it."

Arsenal's archetypal crippled since Saka's wounded comes astatine location to Ipswich Town connected Friday evening.

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