Finding ways to help Arsenal deal with the absence of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka at points this season, in Mikel Arteta’s opinion, will improve him as a coach.
Saka is the most recent player to suffer an injury, which has plagued the Gunners this season.
In Saturday night’s 5-1 victory over Crystal Palace, the winger tore his right hamstring, and Arteta has stated that he will be sidelined for “many weeks.”
It follows Gunners captain Odegaard’s injury to his ankle during a game with Norway in September, which kept him away until the beginning of November.
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According to the Evening Standard, ahead of a hectic January schedule, Arteta has disclosed that he is now devising strategies for Arsenal to deal with Saka’s absence.
And asked if that, and the time Arsenal were without Odegaard, will make him a better coach, Arteta said: “I think so, yeah.
“And obviously we started the season with one of the thinnest squads in the Premier League, we knew that.
“Okay, so what do we need then? If we are the thinnest, what do we need? And really dig into that and make sure that we utilise every player in the best possible potential, everybody has to feel part of it.
“You need to rediscover players in different positions, relationships. It’s a great one, honestly. It’s a really good exercise and the boys are willing to do anything we demand them to do, so that’s a really good thing as well.”
Arsenal are set to host Ipswich Town in the Premier League’s Boxing Day fixture on Friday.
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