Mikel Arteta has said he and his Arsenal players “don’t feel sorry for ourselves” despite injuries to several key players ahead of the Premier League match against Liverpool on Sunday.
The Gunners are already without captain Martin Odegaard, who has missed all nine of their current matches, causing a surprise for Norway at the World Cup in September, and winger Bukayo Saka, who limped off from England’s defeat to Greece earlier in this year.
There are also concerns over the status of defender Riccardo Calafiori, who was substituted during Arsenal’s win over Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek, and fellow defender Jurrien Log has missed the last three games with a muscle injury.
Centre-back William Saliba will also be unavailable following his red card during the defeat to Bournemouth, and that means Arteta will have to pick a team against top-of-the-table Liverpool, who are missing five key players.
“This is the game,” Arteta mentioned.
“Obviously we didn’t want to be in those situations, but we’re also very lucky to have the team we have, the players we have, the attitude we have.
“When it comes to reacting to a problematic condition, let’s not feel sorry for ourselves; face it.
“We are a team that also knows how good we are and how difficult we can be for the opposition. Having that ruthless mentality in the team is something I love.”
Arteta described the situation for the injured trio of Saka, Calafiori and Log as “very uncertain” but kept his thoughts on how to replace the suspended Saliba even in his chest.
“We have different options [in defence]”Arteta mentioned.
“That association [between Saliba and Gabriel] It has been very stable but we have to find a solution. [There is] There’s a lot going on in the backline, but we’ve had to adapt to that and the versatile players have been really helpful.
“We had a free presentation of the next Champions League and two days to organize the sport.
“This is a great game, a great opportunity and we love these types of games at the Emirates. The team is really looking forward to it.
“We need to continue playing with dominance and confidence. Our confidence, strength and perseverance are necessary in a big adjustment like this.
“Arne Slot’s start has been very good. They are in a great moment and are going. They are a team that has been competing at the highest level for nine years.”
