morning.
As expected, Mikel Arteta had little to say about the players who may or may not be available for tomorrow’s game against Liverpool during his press conference on Friday. About Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori, he said:
We will do our best to make it available somehow, but it is very uncertain.
Saka talked a little more about how he trains on grass. Timber can make a decision after going through a training session. And Calafiori’s ability to recover quickly when he thinks he’s injured; But not much more than that. This is what we expect from him ahead of the big game.
This was also a question asked at the press conference about controlling information in the public domain, to which Arteta responded:
We have a lot of information, a lot of sensitive information, a lot of information that people want to have and share, and it is our duty and obligation to maintain and protect the club and the team in the best way possible.
I know it frustrates some people but I don’t care about this at all. Arteta’s job is to win football games and it’s fair enough if he believes that playing to the best of his abilities can play even a small part in helping us do that. Anyway, we can talk more about the possible lineups, back four permutations and all the rest tomorrow.
What was clear from yesterday’s press conference was the message the director wanted to convey. Whether it was for the fans, his players or in general, the message was that feeling sorry for ourselves over injuries, suspensions and absences won’t help anyone. He said:
This is the game. Obviously we didn’t want to be in that situation, but we were also really lucky with the squad we had, the players we had and the attitude we had.
Keep trying, show it, and show how much you want it. An amazing opportunity for others, an amazing opportunity to rebel against certain situations as a team, we need more of a crowd. Even in these situations, keep believing that we are a great team.
It’s not ideal to go into a game this big with all the problems we have, but I like this attitude. There are managers who will use their press conferences to make excuses if they have to potentially play without four or five key players, but much of what Arteta has done at Arsenal has been about the mindset of his team. Wouldn’t it be better to have a full lineup of Saka, Timber, Odegaard, Tomiyas, Saliba, etc. tomorrow? of course. Would crying about it or being loud about it help the player? No, that would be extremely counterproductive.
So this is a very clear approach from Arteta and one that will resonate with fans. We certainly ‘feel’ every injury and absence and worry as football fans do. We become anxious. We are nervous. That’s just the nature of it. But when the whistle blows on Sunday, the players have a job to do and all we can do is watch.
It’s probably similar to the scenario when you’re on an airplane and there’s some turbulence. As passengers, we worry. We become anxious. We are nervous. Then, when I see the cabin crew, they are just minding their own business without any interest, and I feel at ease. So tomorrow’s players are the cabin crew who won’t panic despite some slightly bumpy conditions, while in the cockpit they’ll be looking to Mikel Arteta to get all three points down safely.
And on a plane-related note, I’d like to briefly ask an important question on everyone’s lips. What are our vectors, Victor?
accurately.
If this is something you’d like to hear, check out the Liverpool Preview podcast on Patreon. In this podcast we discuss the options a manager may have with his back four and the potential knock-on effects on other areas of the pitch. . Get it here.
For now, have a great Saturday and I’ll be back tomorrow with a full preview of the game.
