Arteta could welcome back a playerplaceholder image
Arteta could welcome back a player | Getty Images
Mikel Arteta has been speaking about Arsenal’s fitness situation ahead of their clash with Nottingham Forest.
Arsenal are currently six points ahead of Manchester City, and with City in action against Manchester United early on Saturday, there is scope for the Gunners to extend their lead on Saturday.
A trip to Forest is no gimme, though, especially not with the East Midlands side looking a much more resolute outfit under Sean Dyche, now seven points clear of the drop after a rocky first half of the season.
But it looks as though Arsenal may be handed a fitness boost or two, although Arteta was very coy during his pre-match press conference. He said when asked if there could be a return: “It might be, so I need to meet now with the medical staff. We have a training session now to see if somebody is available for the weekend.”
He added: “I can’t tell you.” The Spaniard did rule out any fresh blows, though.
Riccardo Calafiori is perhaps the only player who can realistically return here, with Cristhian Mosquera and Max Doman expected to be a touch further down the line, while Piero Hincapie’s situation is unclear, so there is an outside chance he could return sooner than though if his diagnosis was better than feared.
While Arteta did not give specifics, he did say he is able to plan a little for when certain players will return. “In certain things, yes, and especially looking at the opponent and the things we’re going to be able to train that we can replicate in those games,” he added.
“Sometimes, ideally we want to plan: ‘Ok for this game, we think this player could be better and the load,' and some other times it’s just impossible - you have to go game by game. We have more players back now, we have better options and that’s very helpful because obviously we’ve been giving gametime to almost every player.”
Arteta on Forest challenge
Asked about the challenge of facing a Sean Dyche team, Arteta said: “He's a top coach, really good at what he does. You can see straight away the fingerprints on the team, the way they play, the results that they got against some of the big teams as well, how difficult they constantly make it for you. He's so experienced in the league, so it's a very tough match.”
The Spaniard continued: “Winning away from home in the Premier League is extremely tough. They are a team that we have beaten over the last few years, and we have done a lot of things right to beat a really good team. With Sean, they are different, very, very efficient in what they do, very clear identity and that’s what makes them very dangerous.”
Continue Reading