"I don’t know exactly what it is" - Mikel Arteta provides Bukayo Saka update after his substitution in Arsenal's win over Spurs
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided an update on Bukayo Saka after the English winger had to be substituted in their Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur. The North London derby ended in a 1-0 win for the Gunners on September 15 at Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
Mikel Arteta had a tough job setting the field against Tottenham with Arsenal missing Mikel Merino, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Martin Ødegaard, Riccardo Calafiori, and Kieran Tierney due to injuries.
Declan Rice, meanwhile, also missed the clash due to a suspension he received in the Gunners' last Premier League game before the international break. The 25-year-old defensive midfielder was awarded two yellow cards and had to leave the pitch in the 49th minute during Arsenal's 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion on August 31 at the Emirates.
Although both teams pushed hard to take the lead in the first half of the North London derby, the Gunners opened the scoring through Gabriel Magalhães in the 64th minute. The Brazilian centre-back headed home an in-swinging corner from Bukayo Saka. However, the 23-year-old Englishman had to be substituted in the 86th minute after he unexpectedly hit the ground while clutching his thigh.
Following the 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur, Mikel Arteta was asked about Bukayo Saka's situation. The Spanish tactician replied (via Football London):
"I don’t know. I made two changes with the front players and suddenly he’s down. I looked at the bench and the options that we had and we had to adapt. I don’t know exactly what it is but he could not continue."
With the existing injury problems in his squad and their congested fixture list, Arteta will be hoping that Bukayo Saka's issue is a minor one.
The Gunners face Atalanta in their first UEFA Champions League game of the season on September 19, followed by a clash against Manchester City in the Premier League on September 22.
Arsenal will then face Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the EFL Cup on September 25 at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta on Arsenal's performance in win over Spurs
After Arsenal's victory over Tottenham Hotspur, Mikel Arteta was asked to share his thoughts on the clash. The Gunners' boss was "super happy" with the win and said (via Football London):
"Super happy obviously. We know what it means to our club and our people to win a North London Derby. We have the power to make them very happy so hopefully we achieved that."
Speaking about his squad's performance, Mikel Arteta addressed the difficulties that arose due to the injuries and suspension. He said:
"On the performance we had good moments and others where we had to suffer. We suffered because we had to adapt the plan because of the players that we had available. I loved it. The second we started to get that news, the team got hungrier and hungrier to play that game. It’s a big compliment to everybody at the club to behave in a certain way. It’s a tough week coming and instead of finding any excuses we did the opposite. We faced the challenge, played with courage and acknowledged the qualities we had to win the game."
Arsenal are now second on the Premier League table with 10 points from four matches.