Mikel Arteta has spoken about how Arsenal's season was shaped by losing striker Gabriel Jesus to a devastating ACL injury.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
- Arteta speaks to Men In Blazers podcast
- Discusses Arsenal's season
- Admits pain of Jesus injury
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Speaking on the Men in Blazers podcast, Arteta explored his regrets over the 2024-25 campaign, saying that he wishes he had rotated Jesus more to prevent the Brazilian forward picking up a devastating ACL injury during the crucial winter period of the season.
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WHAT ARTETA SAID
Asked what he would do differently, Arteta said: "It's very difficult now to understand that, if I could pause the game and say, Gabriel Jesus, we brought you back to life. You know, you are doing incredibly well. You're going to now get injured, so stop. I would stop him, bring another player in and continue to play the game. Unfortunately, we cannot do this in football."
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Injuries to Jesus and other key forwards like Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka left the Gunners depleted up top for a key chunk of the season, and they struggled to score goals as a result. These absences ultimately allowed Liverpool to win the league at a canter, so you can see why Arteta regrets potentially overusing some of his attacking stars.
- AFP
WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?
Arteta's season now hinges entirely on their Champions League performance, with a huge semi-final second-leg fixture coming up against French champions PSG on Wednesday. The atmosphere in Paris is likely to be fierce, and all the pressure is on the visitors to get a result and reach their first Champions League final in nearly two decades.
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