Arteta was without the services of four key players during Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at the Emirates.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that losing key players to injury could prevent the Gunners from achieving the quadruple this season.
He made this known on Sunday night after his team thrashed Wigan Athletic 4-0 in the fourth round of the FA Cup at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal are four points clear at the top of the Premier League table and will face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
Arteta’s men also finished top of their Champions League group and have now progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
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However, Riccardo Calafiori was injured during the warm-up for Sunday’s cup tie, while team captain Martin Odegaard missed the encounter with a knock.
In addition to those two, Arteta was also without Mikel Merino and Kai Havertz for the match.
Asked if he was concerned that his squad is thinning while the team competes on four fronts, the Spanish tactician replied: “Yes, especially because of what we are going through… before it was the strikers, then it was the defenders, and now it’s the midfielders.”
Arteta added: “We are still coping, but we need players back and fit to give us not only numbers but different options depending on our opponents. So, the quicker the better.”
