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MIKEL ARTETA says title-chasing Arsenal have had to be “different” while captain Martin Odegaard is sidelined by an ankle problem.
Odegaard has missed Arsenal’s last six games with the injury he suffered playing for Norway last month, an absence that has forced Arteta to change his plans.
Arteta said yesterday that the midfielder was “working so hard” to return, but the Gunners boss could not pinpoint when he would be back in action.
Leandro Trossard has come in for the top-flight games missed by Odegaard, as well as the Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain this week.
In a tweak to Arsenal’s usual 4-2-3-1 formation, Kai Havertz has played alongside the Belgian in a two-man strike partnership.
Arsenal’s ability to adapt in Odegaard’s absence has helped them remain one of two unbeaten sides in the Premier League, sitting in third place just one point behind leaders Liverpool.
“We had to be different,” said Arteta, whose side host winless Southampton today.
“The impact Martin has in everything that we do, it was too big to try to replicate it with one player.
“We’ve tried to do it in a different way, adapting a few things, using players’ qualities, players that can play in different positions and with the right chemistry around them.
“Maybe it took a game or two, but then things started to flow a bit better. We found a way, but we still miss him.”
He added: “We don’t have Martin, there are all the things that we cannot do. But as well we have a big threat in other areas and we have to make the most of them.”
Chelsea are improving but the London side are not yet ready to compete with top Premier League clubs like Manchester City and Arsenal, manager Enzo Maresca said yesterday.
Chelsea, who finished sixth last season to miss out on the Champions League and 12th in 2022-23, are fourth in the table with 13 points from six games.
Maresca replaced Mauricio Pochettino in June and was tasked with returning Chelsea to the Champions League which they last won in 2021.
“I don’t think we can compete with City and Arsenal. City have worked with the same manager for (nearly) nine years, Arsenal for five years,” Maresca said ahead of tomorrow’s game against Nottingham Forest.
“If you want to compete, you need that time. It’s a huge difference. I am convinced we cannot compete. The target is to improve and to get close slowly. We are not at this moment ready for that.
“You can continue to improve but at the end, the more time you are together, the better it is.”
Chelsea made headlines for loaning out Raheem Sterling to Arsenal and striker Romelu Lukaku joined Napoli, with Maresca also omitting former captain Ben Chilwell from matchday squads.
However, the manager said the team’s identity was clear after winning five consecutive games in all competitions with different starting line-ups.
“For the first two months, there was a lot of noise around the club. Hopefully, we can continue with the way we are now,” Maresca said.
“I was not here last year. The only thing I can say is since we started, I like to be focused and in control. The only part I can control is the football side.
“All the noises around the club are something I cannot control, I don’t care about it. I’m already thinking about how we can prepare for the game.”
Maresca said right back Reece James had not recovered from a thigh injury and Carney Chukwuemeka, who fell ill before their midweek 4-2 win over Gent, will be assessed ahead of the game.
Ratcliffe refuses to guarantee Ten Hag’s future
Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe refused to guarantee Erik ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford as he admitted the club is not “where it should be” under the troubled boss.
Ratcliffe had a chance to quash reports that Ten Hag is in danger of the sack when he spoke ahead of United’s crucial Premier League trip to Aston Villa tomorrow.
But the 71-year-old’s downbeat assessment of United’s predicament was hardly encouraging for Ten Hag as he fights to save his job.
“I don’t want to answer that question. I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day it’s not my call,” Ratcliffe told the BBC yesterday.
Ten Hag’s side are languishing in 13th place after winning only two of their first six league matches.
They suffered a dismal 3-0 home defeat against Tottenham last weekend and blew a two-goal lead in their 3-3 draw at Porto in the Europa League on Thursday.
United’s struggles have piled pressure on Ten Hag, who only survived a woeful eighth-place finish last season after Ratcliffe and his advisors conducted an internal review into the Dutchman’s turbulent two-year reign.
Ratcliffe reportedly spoke to former Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel about the United job during the review before opting to keep faith with Ten Hag, who had masterminded a surprise FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May.
But the British billionaire, who took charge of United’s football operations after buying a stake in the club in February, was more equivocal about Ten Hag yesterday when he was pressed on his manager’s travails.
Insisting any decision on the former Ajax boss would be made in conjunction with United’s new sporting director Dan Ashworth and chief executive Omar Berrada, Ratcliffe said: “It’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.
“But that team that’s running Manchester United has only been together since June or July. They weren’t there in January, February, March or April – Omar and Dan Ashworth. They only arrived in July.
“They’ve only been there, you can count it in weeks almost. They’ve not been there a long time so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions.
“Our objective is very clear, we want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it’s not there yet, obviously. That’s very clear.” – Supersport.com.
Online Reporter