Mikel Arteta Reveals Arsenal’s ‘Secret’ to Chasing the Title as Mixed Injury News Surfaces
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has spoken about morale in the Gunners dressing room as the north London club receives mixed injury news ahead of their home match against Leeds.
Mikel Arteta is likely to have dreaded every minute of the recent international break, fearful that one of his Arsenal stars would sustain an injury that would derail their title bid.
The Gunners currently lead the Premier League table by eight points, despite having played one game more than nearest challengers and reigning champions Manchester City. Arsenal’s next game is against Leeds at the Emirates, which Arteta cannot afford to overlook.
When the final whistle blows in north London on Saturday afternoon, Arsenal will be in the single digits in terms of games remaining. A victory would help to instill confidence in both the players and the fanbase that the 19-year wait for a league title is coming to an end.
With that in mind, here are the major headlines and talking points for Arsenal on Friday, March 31.
The Arsenal manager has explained why the Gunners have looked so good so far this season.
“We have the right level of competition and cooperation because they really want to help each other, but they have to challenge each other as well to benefit the team and lift the standards that we want,” Arteta told Sky Sports.
“The secret is probably the unity and togetherness that they have between them.
“They love to spend time with each other, they love to play with each other, they love to play in front of our people and they really have that sense of belonging to the club. That’s very powerful, I think.”
Gunners receive injury update
Thomas Partey is expected to be available for Arsenal’s match against Leeds, but centre-back William Saliba remains a doubt.
Partey has been on international duty with Ghana, but he did not come off the bench in their 1-1 draw with Angola on Monday, as manager Chris Hughton revealed after the game that the midfielder was suffering from “small injury issues.”
The comments raised concerns among Arsenal fans that one of their most important players would be absent, but Partey was spotted in training on Thursday.
Saliba, on the other hand, missed Arsenal’s last league game against Crystal Palace due to a back injury.
