Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta ready for the challenge of coping without Bukayo Saka
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes Bukayo Saka’s absence will transform him into a better manager.
The Gunners will begin a period of matches – which is likely to extend into double figures – without Saka when they host Ipswich at the Emirates on Friday.
Arteta confirmed ahead of the visit of the Tractor Boys that the England winger, who has nine goals and 13 assists this season, faces “many weeks” on the sidelines after he tore his hamstring in Arsenal’s 5-1 dismantling of Crystal Palace last weekend.
Saka’s injury comes a month after captain Martin Odegaard returned to following 12 matches out with an ankle problem.
Saka’s natural replacement, Raheem Sterling, will also be absent for a period of time after he suffered a knee injury in training.
But when asked if his latest managerial test will turn him into a better coach, Arteta said: “I think so, yes. We started the season with one of the thinnest squads in the Premier League, and we knew that.
“If we have the thinnest squad, what do we need? We really dug into that to make sure that we utilise every player in the best possible potential, and everybody has to feel part of it.
“You need to rediscover players in different positions, and different relationships. It’s a really good exercise and the boys are willing to do anything we demand them to do, so that’s a really good thing, too.”
Arteta is set to oversee a pivotal time in Arsenal’s campaign with nine fixtures in January – including a north London derby against Tottenham in the Premier League, an FA Cup third-round clash against Manchester United, and the opening leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle – following their final game of 2024 against Ipswich.
Football’s expanding calendar is under the microscope more than ever before, with Manchester City’s Rodri suggesting earlier this season that players would be forced to strike over the increasing number of fixtures.
Rodri then ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in September which ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
“It (the fixture list) is unsustainable unless we can find ways to physically turn the players into monsters who can cope with anything,” added Arteta.
“The fact that you train and recover, that’s not a good pattern because the body needs to train, the muscle needs to train. If you just play and recover you start to lose a lot of factors in your body that are key to physical performance.
“Not just to play not to get injured, but to become a better athlete, which is very different, and to keep evolving as an athlete.
“I hope the players are being listened to but whoever is in charge, can they actually do something right now with the commitments that are already in place over the next three or four seasons? It is very challenging and very difficult.”