THIS IS INSANE
Arteta slams schedule as Foxes and Gunners lose THREE players in fine Arsenal win
MIKEL ARTETA hit out at the ‘insane’ Premier League schedule after three players succumbed to injury in Arsenal’s 3-1 win at Leicester, revealing that top-flight bosses had forecast the toll this season would take on players.
Leicester winger Harvey Barnes requires knee surgery and will be out for at least six weeks after he was carried off on a stretcher with his legs in a brace. Team-mate Jonny Evans will have a scan on a calf problem and Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe was substituted just before half-time with a muscular issue.
Arteta was hugely impressed with his team’s victory after David Luiz’s header, Alexandre Lacazette’s penalty and Nicolas Pepe’s secondhalf strike helped the Gunners recover from Youri Tielemans’ opener. But he believes the health of footballers is being risked as leagues scramble to complete their seasons on time amid the coronavirus crisis.
‘It’s absolutely normal that it is happening,’ said Arteta, when asked about the injuries. ‘It is insane — the amount of minutes and the games that these players are playing without any pre-season or break.
‘You are going to get injuries. We talked about it, all the managers raised our voices at the start of the season and (now) it’s happening.’
Arteta used those injuries to justify his decision to rest key men Bukayo Saka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang here, after both helped Arsenal knock Benfica out of the Europa League in Athens less than 72 hours earlier.
Leicester were already without key players — James Maddison, James Justin, Dennis Praet, Ayoze Perez and Wesley Fofana are unavailable — before Barnes and Evans were injured, while Jamie Vardy appeared to be feeling pain around his hip in the first half.
‘This is why we needed to change players (today), because if not we were going to expose our players to injuries,’ added Arteta. ‘But sometimes you don’t have a chance as a manager (to do that) because you don’t have enough players or you have the necessity to win.’
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers said: ‘We have carried injuries all season and we are down to the bare bones. When you miss influential players, it makes a difference.’
Leicester’s squad, meanwhile, looks worryingly threadbare. Vardy had 11 goals in his previous 12 league games against Arsenal but never threatened here. If the Foxes are to maintain their top-four spot and avoid a repeat of last season’s near miss, they need Vardy to improve quickly on his recent record of one goal in 12 matches.
Arsenal had lost three of their previous four league games and they looked to be facing another uphill struggle when Leicester moved ahead in the sixth minute.
Kelechi Iheanacho — in for the injured Maddison — cut out Granit Xhaka’s attempted pass to Willian and Tielemans seized on the loose ball. With no Arsenal player attempting a challenge, the Belgian marched into the box and found the bottom corner with an angled shot.
Yet once behind, the visitors came to life. They were awarded a penalty when Pepe fell between Tielemans and Wilfred Ndidi, only for that to change to a free-kick just outside the box on VAR review. Arsenal were undaunted, though, showing energy and aggression and finding Pepe, who was tormenting young left back Luke Thomas whenever possible.
Thomas did make one vital contribution in the 26th minute when he threw himself in front of Pepe’s strike, and moments later Willian shot just wide from 20 yards following a clever move involving Smith Rowe, Pepe and Kieran Tierney. At
the other end, Ricardo Pereira should have found Vardy after Tierney had misjudged Caglar Soyuncu’s crossfield pass, and Leicester were made to pay when Arsenal equalised six minutes before half-time.
Yet another foul by Thomas on Pepe finally earned the Foxes man a booking and this time Arsenal made it count. Willian guided the free-kick over and Luiz planted a diving header beyond Kasper Schmeichel.
Having rued a VAR decision earlier in the half, Arsenal were thankful for one in the closing seconds. Play was initially allowed to continue after Pepe’s cross hit Ndidi on the arm, yet referee Paul Tierney gave a penalty after a quick check of the pitchside monitor. Lacazette sent Schmeichel the wrong way.
Arsenal stretched the lead soon after half-time as Leicester’s day turned bleaker. Barnes, who has 13 goals this season, sustained what looked like a serious injury as he stretched for Tielemans’ through ball — yet another blow for Rodgers who has an ever-growing list of key players on the sidelines.
Still reeling from Barnes’ departure, Leicester conceded the third. Pepe found Martin Odegaard — who had replaced Smith Rowe just before half-time — and when the Norwegian slipped the ball to his left, Willian reached it just before Schmeichel and guided it across goal for Pepe to tap in.
Evans had been one of Leicester’s few decent performers but he, too, succumbed to injury with 20 minutes remaining. At this rate, Rodgers will struggle to put out an XI at Burnley on Wednesday.
‘We have to dig deep now,’ he added. ‘We will do our best with what is available until the end of the season.’ LEICESTER (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel 6; Castagne 5.5, Evans 6.5 (Amartey 70min, 6), Soyuncu 5.5, Thomas 4.5 (Albrighton 46, 6); Tielemans 6, Ndidi 5.5; Pereira 5, Iheanacho 6, Barnes 6 (Under 49, 6); Vardy 5. Subs not used: Ward, Choudhury, Mendy, Fuchs, Daley-Campbell, Tavares. Scorer: Tielemans 6. Booked: Thomas, Tielemans. Manager: Brendan Rodgers 5. ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Leno 6; Soares 6.5, Luiz 7.5, Mari 7, Tierney 7; Elneny 6.5 (Partey 66, 6), Xhaka 6.5; PEPE 8, Smith Rowe 6.5 (Odegaard 42, 6), Willian 7; Lacazette 7 (Aubameyang 84). Subs not used: Ryan, Bellerin, Saka, Ceballos, Holding, Martinelli. Scorers: Luiz 39, Lacazette 45+2 (pen), Pepe 52. Booked: Tierney. Manager: Mikel Arteta 8. Referee: Paul
Tierney 6.