Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Bukayo Saka has had profitable surgical procedure on his hamstring harm however expects the Arsenal ahead to be out for at the least two months.
Arteta’s males have been rocked by Saka’s hamstring harm which might preserve the England winger, who has 9 targets and 13 assists this season, out of motion for the following two months.
Gabriel Martinelli was handed the unenviable job of filling Saka’s footwear on Arsenal’s right-hand facet and the Brazilian was concerned in the one purpose of the night towards Ipswich on Friday night time.
Arsenal in the end moved into second place within the Premier League desk with a 1-0 win on the Emirates. Of their last fixture of 2024, Kai Havertz scored the one purpose of the sport halfway via the opening interval.
Arsenal’s victory takes them again to inside six factors of leaders Liverpool, having performed one match greater than the Reds, and a degree away from Chelsea following their Boxing Day defeat to Fulham. Talking afterwards, Arteta confirmed his workforce should get used to successful matches with out Saka.
“I said many weeks, so I think it’ll be more than two months,” the Gunners boss stated. “I do not know precisely how for much longer. I feel it would rely upon how that scar tissue begins to heal. The primary week or so, mobility of that. Let’s examine, it’s extremely troublesome to say.
“Bukayo goes to be out for a lot of weeks. I feel the alternative of B [Saka] goes to be the workforce. And that unit specifically. And having minutes collectively and asking various things.
“There were moments that it flowed really well, there were moments that we can still have some work to do there and improve it and adapt to the qualities of the individuals. I’m certain that we’re going to do that.
“It was totally different [tonight]. We are going to evolve that. We won’t isolate in the identical manner we do with Bukayo – we have now to do it in a different way. It is going to take time, it is a model new unit.”
The Ipswich defence failed to deal with Martinelli’s cross, with the ball falling to Leandro Trossard on the opposite side of the area. Trossard fought his way to the byline before fizzing his cross into the box for Havertz to convert from a matter of yards.
Gabriel reacts after sending a close-range header huge of the Ipswich purpose
It was Havertz’s third purpose in 4 matches, his twelfth of the season, and at least the hosts, who at that stage of the match had loved a staggering 91.4 per cent of the possession, deserved.
Heading into Friday’s fixture, Arsenal had misplaced solely one in every of their final 75 Premier League video games after they had opened the scoring, and their triumph right here not often seemed doubtful following Havertz’s strike.
Arteta added: “I’m very happy with the victory and the clean sheets and parts of the game. It was a very difficult opponent after a long run of games. It was about margins, and we could have scored more but the most important thing is how we handled the end of the game.
“We should always have scored extra however our defensive behaviours had been excellent and that can all the time give us the possibility to win video games.”
Analysis: Arteta has work to do to find formula without Saka
Arteta promised Arsenal would be “totally different” without Saka. He knows he has no direct replacement for the 23-year-old. On this evidence, though, it might take a bit of time to find a working formula in his absence as he begins a lengthy period on the sidelines.
Martin Odegaard strikes a shot heading in the right direction towards Ipswich
Martinelli was chosen to imagine the position of Arsenal’s right-sided winger having impressed after transferring throughout following Saka’s withdrawal within the win at Crystal Palace however he struggled, not registering a single shot, creating any probabilities and even finishing any dribbles.
The purpose originated from the other facet of the pitch, with Trossard bursting away from Ben Johnson and sending a teasing cross into the six-yard field, the place Havertz pounced. However Arsenal continued to direct a better proportion of assaults down their proper.
Arsenal despatched 49 per cent of their assaults down the correct flank
Martinelli was not the one one they seemed to. Martin Odegaard supplied assist and Arteta’s entrance line was extra fluid than typical, with Gabriel Jesus and Havertz additionally popping up on that flank, in addition to interchanging positions with one another earlier than Jesus was substituted.
Their motion brought about issues for Ipswich at instances, however Arsenal usually struggled to carve out openings, save for a spell within the second half after they peppered the guests’ purpose.
Havertz prepared to face up – however others should comply with his lead
Sky Sports activities’ Ben Grounds on the Emirates Stadium:
“It’s true that you can’t score five every week, and there was a degree of satisfaction in the voices of home supporters as they chanted ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’ at the final whistle.
“This was a scratchy efficiency that, within the midst of the congested run of fixtures, Mikel Arteta will not thoughts. Tick this off, and transfer on to the following one.
“It is a game that won’t live long in the memory but it is one Arsenal ultimately won thanks to Kai Havertz’s elusive running off the ball.
“The German was rewarded merely for not standing nonetheless. Later, his exuberance would result in a reserving, however within the absence of Saka, it was very important that he continued his spectacular output over the course of 2024.
“His decisive strike was his 24th goal involvement of the calendar year – just four shy of Saka. For as long as the Starboy is out injured, Havertz must continue that flow of finding the net.”
