Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has warned that the club’s growing injury concerns could threaten their push for a first Premier League title in 20 years.
Arteta voiced his frustration after Declan Rice and Cristhian Mosquera both picked up injuries during Arsenal’s 2–0 win over Brentford in Wednesday’s Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium.
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Goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka helped the Gunners move five points clear of Manchester City, extending their unbeaten run to 18 matches and securing an eighth straight home victory.
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But the mood was dampened as Mosquera limped off just before half-time, while Rice appeared to suffer a calf problem late in the game, adding to an already packed treatment room. Arsenal are also without Gabriel Magalhães, William Saliba, Kai Havertz, and Leandro Trossard.
“Obviously, it’s never good news. Declan had to come off. We don’t know yet; we’ll see tomorrow what he’s got,” Arteta said.
“Declan can walk, but he cannot play.”
Arteta criticised the tight schedule, pointing out that Arsenal must play again in Saturday’s early kick-off after a gruelling week featuring matches against Tottenham, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea.
“We had a very demanding week at every level. We played Wednesday night, and now we play Saturday morning,” he said.
“If they could give us just a little more time to recover and make the welfare of these players a little bit easier, that would be great.”
Despite resting Saka, Jurrien Timber, and Eberechi Eze against Brentford, all three were called from the bench, further highlighting Arsenal’s injury woes.
