Gunners manager celebrates 300th game with dominant win but faces anxious wait over Odegaard and Rice fitness
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta experienced both triumph and concern during his 300th game in charge, watching his team secure a commanding 2-0 victory over West Ham while facing potential injury setbacks to two key players.
Speaking after the milestone match, Arteta reflected on his journey with the club. “Very proud – it is a big number for this football club,” he said. “I want to thank everybody, especially my coaching staff who have been with me since day one. Without them, it’s impossible to do the job and secondly to enjoy it.”
The celebration was tempered by worries about captain Martin Odegaard, who left the pitch with a knee injury. “He had a clash knee-to-knee and immediately he was uncomfortable,” Arteta revealed. “He’s got a brace on, we’ll have to wait and see from the doctors. We haven’t been very lucky with that either.”
In another concerning development, Declan Rice asked to be substituted due to back pain. “He’s not all right because he asked me to come off, so that’s a shame,” Arteta admitted. “That’s something very unusual for Declan so we’ll have to assess him.”
Despite these setbacks, Arteta found plenty of positives in his team’s performance, particularly praising Bukayo Saka’s achievement of 100 Premier League goal involvements. “When you look at those numbers, 200 games, 100 goal involvements, it’s unbelievable,” he said. “His age, what he’s doing, the manner that he’s doing it as well, really impressive.”
The manager also highlighted the importance of squad depth, noting that “the ones that are coming, they have to lift the level, the intensity and help us to win the game.” This depth was tested when Odegaard’s early substitution forced tactical adjustments, but Arteta was pleased with how his team adapted.
Looking ahead to the international break, Arteta expressed satisfaction with his team’s position. “We’ve had some very difficult fixtures,” he noted, “but the team has been very convincing in performances and results. It’s a good platform now to continue.”
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