Mikel Arteta admits that Arsenal’s reliance on Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe in recent months is something they must change.
Mikel Arteta said: “They are not going to play every game, it is not possible, so we have to change those stats. That’s what we have to do and we have to find solutions. But it says a lot about what has happened this season. Eight months ago, if anyone had said we were going to rely so much on these two guys to get results, you would have said that would mean we are not going to be in a really strong position, and that is our reality as well. We have to change that reality, because it doesn’t go in our favour.”
Meanwhile, Arteta has called on his players to pick up where they left off in Prague, with the Arsenal head coach looking for some consistency in the performance levels, after scoring seven goals without reply in their last two fixtures.
Mikel Arteta said: “After the positive performance against Sheffield, to do it again against Slavia, it is reassuring and it brings confidence over the levels we can reach. It shows what we can do and we cannot accept less than that, that is the bar we have to set ourselves. We know in this league if you take the foot off the gas, what can happen. You don’t give any margins away, because you can be exposed.”
