Mikel Arteta took some to time to discuss with the journos ahead of Arsenal’s EFL Cup quarterfinal clash against Crystal Palace tonight.
Starting with injuries, the gaffer confirmed the absence of his left backs, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori. These players have been plagued by injuries and would have an impact on the team selection for tonight’s game clash with Crystal Palace.
He brushed off the jibes on the set piece goals and confirmed his interest in wanting to win the EFL Cup. Arsenal’s last victory in the competition was as far back as 1993, and with the Premier League seemingly creeping away, there would be some reliance on the cup competitions, with the EFL Cup offering a great responsibility.
He was also quizzed about the possibility of playing his captain, Martin Odegaard and Ethan Nwaneri, and his response was interesting.
There was a school of thought that with Arsenal fighting for a win, taking out Odegaard was counter intuitive, but he didn’t play as well as we would have hoped, especially with his shooting.
It was interesting to see how it goes.
