Mikel Arteta Clarifies Bench Decision for Jorginho and Unveils New Injury Setback for Emile Smith Rowe

Mikel Arteta Clarifies Bench Decision for Jorginho and Unveils New Injury Setback for Emile Smith Rowe

Mikel Arteta has explained that Jorginho was not deemed fit enough to start for Arsenal against West Ham, citing fatigue from the previous week’s efforts.

Unfortunately, Emile Smith Rowe has suffered a new injury setback.

After a spectacular 3-1 victory that closed the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool, Arsenal faced the possibility of falling eight points behind.

However, Liverpool and Manchester City both secured wins on Saturday, putting Arsenal back at

a five-point deficit.

Arteta’s team will need to respond, but they will be without several key players for the

upcoming Sunday game at the London Stadium.

Oleksandr Zinchenko, who came off at halftime against Liverpool, was unlikely to play, and Gabriel Jesus has not recovered in time, as anticipated.

However, in addition to the absence of those two players, the North London team has also

had to cope with the loss of Smith Rowe, who suffered an ankle injury during the week.

Jorginho, who was the man of the match in the previous game, is unable to play back-to-back

matches due to his own lingering injury concern.

Responding to the numerous absent players, Arteta explained to Sky Sports, “Yeah,

Emile turned his ankle in training.

It was too early for Gabi, and he could not recover. Jorgi has been struggling after 90 minutes for

a long time as well, so we had quite a lot of issues in the week.”

When asked about the impact of not being able to start with Jorginho, Arteta elaborated, “It’s been an ongoing issue [a foot problem] for a while.

He exacerbated it playing 96 minutes at that intensity after a duration.

“But the level of effort he put in was incredible. Despite the issue, he was eager to be here today to support the team, showcasing the spirit of Jorgi.”

Regarding how his team might be arranged with Kai Havertz possibly in a false nine position, he remarked, “They each bring something unique.

Kai is highly intuitive and intelligent in utilizing space; he can establish connections in play effectively”.

“Furthermore, he consistently poses a threat, demonstrating a significant presence inside the box. He excels in linking play and exhibits a tremendous work ethic as well.

Hence, he provides us with various dimensions to occupy at specific moments, and his style of play is notably unpredictable.”

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