Image credit: Getty Images
Mikel Arteta has revealed that Raheem Sterling’s lack of game time at Arsenal this season is an indirect consequence of the club’s injury crisis. The 30-year-old winger, who joined the Gunners on loan from Chelsea in August, has struggled for regular minutes, making just four starts since his deadline-day arrival.
Sterling’s last start came on October 30 in Arsenal’s Carabao Cup match against Preston. Since then, he has managed only two substitute appearances, totaling just 23 minutes on the pitch. Arteta, however, insists Sterling’s limited role is not a reflection of his ability but rather the result of squad fitness challenges.
“There have been moments,” Arteta admitted. “It’s been tough and very difficult for me as well to accept that I haven’t given him more.
“When he hasn’t started games, 90 percent of the substitutions I’ve made are related to saving minutes, managing injuries, or avoiding further injuries. It’s not for tactical reasons.
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“I would like him to play much more as I think he can impact the team in a very good way. He’s very good in the dressing room and is absolutely desperate to play. He had this very important role of impacting every game, and suddenly he’s in this position for a while—not just here but at Chelsea as well.
Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling (Image credit: Getty Images)
“It’s always very difficult, and I feel a lot of sympathy for players when they are in this moment. Hopefully, we can change it.”
Despite Sterling’s struggles for consistent playing time, Arsenal’s injury-hit campaign has opened doors for emerging talents from the club’s academy. Promising youngsters Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly have both been integrated into the first-team squad this season, and Arteta credits the dressing room environment for their smooth transition.
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“It is unbelievable,” Arteta said about the squad’s dynamic. “It’s not for me to say; it’s for them. And they have already expressed how [the dressing room] makes them feel.
“The way they look after them, the way they can look at certain people and say: ‘Wow, these are the standards I want to become.’ That is a great example.
“The academy historically has been very successful, but there are moments when you get several players coming through at the same time. They need time in the squad and a role in the squad, and that’s when you throw a player in.
“The jump is so big, from what you ask of them in the Premier League to the Champions League. It’s a huge step. But they are showing they are capable of doing it.”
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