Mikel Arteta reveals Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard replacement plan amid Man City criticism
Bukayo Saka has said that Arsenal must find a way to cope without Martin Odegaard ahead of their top of the table clash with Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta confirmed ahead of his side’s Champions League clash with Atalanta in midweek that the Norwegian is set for a significant spell on the sidelines after picking up an ankle injury while on international duty. In his absence the Gunners have been able to secure a 1-0 win over Tottenham in the North London Derby and a 0-0 draw in Bergamo against the Europa League champions.
They have failed to score from open play in each match, though, and have appeared to miss their captain’s ability on the ball. Saka has said that he and his teammates can’t afford to feel sorry for themselves in his absence.
Despite being the first team to keep City at bay at home that season, Arsenal drew heavy criticism for not going for the win as they sought to gain crucial ground in the title race. Saka though does not feel this will impact their approach to this coming match.
“To be honest, I don’t really care,” he said when asked about the criticism. “We know what we believed, we know what we went there to achieve. Only we know the real truth. We went there to win and we are going to do that again this Sunday.”
