Mikel Arteta believes finding solutions for Arsenal coping without Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard at times this season will make him a better coach. The Gunners have been hit hard by injuries this season and Saka is the latest player to be struck down.
The winger tore his right hamstring in Arsenal’s 5-1 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday night and Arteta has confirmed he will be out for “many weeks”. It comes off the back of Gunners captain Odegaard injuring his ankle in September while playing for Norway and not returning until the start of November.
Arteta has revealed he is now coming up with plans on how Arsenal cope without Saka ahead of a busy January schedule. And asked if that, and the time Arsenal were without Odegaard, will make him a better coach, Arteta said: “I think so, yeah. “And obviously we started the season with one of the thinnest squads in the Premier League, we knew that.
“Okay, so what do we need then? If we are the thinnest, what do we need? And really dig into that and make sure that we utilise every player in the best possible potential, everybody has to feel part of it. “You need to rediscover players in different positions, relationships. It’s a great one, honestly. It’s a really good exercise and the boys are willing to do anything we demand them to do, so that’s a really good thing as well.”.
