Mikel Arteta of Arsenal proposes adjustment to pre-match warmup due to ongoing injury issues.
Mikel Arteta has indicated that Arsenal is reviewing their warmup practices following fitness issues experienced by four players just prior to matches, and the Gunners manager has even suggested the possibility of eliminating the pre-match tradition altogether.
Riccardo Calafiori was the most recent player affected last Sunday, being substituted just minutes before kick-off and replaced by Myles Lewis-Skelly during their FA Cup fourth-round victory over Wigan.
Earlier in the season, Calafiori was also sidelined for a month due to a muscular injury sustained during the warm-up against Brighton.
Bukayo Saka was unable to participate as expected against Leeds United earlier this month, while William Saliba experienced an injury during the defeat at Liverpool in August but started the match and was substituted after only five minutes.
When asked if he was examining the situation, Arteta responded: “Yes, definitely. They were quite different. The first incident involved Willy when he rolled his ankle against Liverpool. Then we had two occurrences with Riccy in the warm-up in a very similar manner.
“The other case was Bukayo, who after resting midweek and not playing against Kairat, sustained an injury against Leeds. It’s quite unusual. It has probably happened once or twice in the six years I have been here, and now it has occurred four times.
“So we are clearly investigating it. Willy’s situation was very hard to detect. Sometimes you want to assess a player beforehand to determine if they are fit, and the warm-up provides another chance to do that.
“Bukayo’s injury was very unexpected because he showed no signs or symptoms that this could occur during the warm-up. It is what it is; we need to learn from it.”
Arteta acknowledged that the recent series of incidents has heightened his concerns leading up to matches.
“I can sense that I am more alert,” he stated. “When I am in the office and hear someone enter, I think ‘no, please’ because it is a very delicate moment.
“When you replace Riccy with Bukayo, you have to adjust many aspects of the game plan: positions, and there are numerous changes that need to be made in just two minutes.
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“It enhances your coaching skills because you must consider ‘what if, what if’ scenarios, and there are increasingly more uncertainties just before the game and many during the match, so you need to be better prepared.”
When asked about the flexibility of the warmup routines, Arteta elaborated: “I was a player too, and we have our preferred routines, which signal to your body that ‘it is coming, it is coming, it is coming.’
“Altering that can sometimes be challenging. It is a worthwhile area to examine. What would occur if we skipped the warm-up? Because then, at half-time, we sit for almost 15 minutes and then go full throttle in the second half. Perhaps it is something to consider.”
Calafiori and Ben White are anticipated to be available for Wednesday’s Premier League match against Wolves.
Kai Havertz may also recover in time, but Martin Ødegaard will be unavailable, with Arteta expressing optimism that the midfielder will be ready to face Tottenham on Sunday.
