EPL: I couldn’t sleep before Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Tottenham – Arteta
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has admitted he barely slept in the lead-up to their 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby on Sunday, September 15, 2024.
Arteta revealed that his carefully crafted game plan was severely disrupted by a string of injuries sustained by key players during the international break. Arsenal were without several stars, including Declan Rice, who was suspended, and injured players Martin Ødegaard, Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Kieran Tierney.
“I didn’t enjoy the preparation because I didn’t sleep much,” Arteta told reporters after the match. “I looked ahead to Spurs for four or five days and had a super clear plan for how to approach it. I prepared all the meetings and training sessions. Then I got the news that we’d lost a player, and then another, and then another, which forced me to completely change the plan and adapt to the players we had available. It was a great challenge.”
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Despite the difficulties, Gabriel Magalhaes’ 64th-minute header proved decisive, securing Arsenal’s win in the first North London Derby of the season. The victory propelled the Gunners into second place behind Manchester City in the Premier League standings.
The injuries, however, meant that Arsenal had to dig deep, with a reshuffled squad managing to overcome the challenges posed by their city rivals. Arteta’s ability to adapt on the fly highlighted his tactical acumen, even as the injuries cast a shadow over his initial preparations.
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