It was confirmed that Arsenal would be without their manager Mikel Arteta against league leaders Manchester City On New Year’s eve.
Arsenal was taking a well-deserved vacation from activity as the year 2021 came to a close, with the announcement that their match against Wolves has been postponed. They started preparations for their game against the League holders that would take place on New Year’s Day.
When compared to some other teams, the club has only had to deal with a handful of Covid instances after winning 5-0 against Norwich and has over a week to prepare for the arrival of Manchester City to Emirates. However, since all four of their cases involve right-backs, it seemed possible that Benjamin White could be called upon to stand in for Takehiro Tomiyasu once again, as he did at Carrow Road.
Despite that, it was not the case. The Japanese international was fit and did a great job, though his team lost the game.
What Is The Situation In The Premier League And At Arsenal At Present?
Due to the increasing number of infections throughout the Premier League, testing will be carried out daily. Unfortunately, Arsenal has been shaken by the announcement of yet another positive case, this time involving Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta missed their Premier League match against Manchester City on New Year’s Day after testing positive for Covid. The manager was out because of the adverse test.
He has gotten the virus a second time, having previously tested positive in March 2020. That was when he was one of the first high-profile people in football to be identified as having contracted the infection. Even Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp came back with a positive result.
Mikel Arteta will only miss the club’s match against Manchester City (which the team lost 2-1 at the Emirates) on New Year’s Day after testing positive for the virus COVID-19. It was confirmed, according to a statement on the club’s official website.
“Mikel is isolating himself in accordance with government regulations, and we wish him the best.”
Did The Gunners Miss Mikel Arteta?
For some clubs, the absence of the manager from the sidelines isn’t a significant disadvantage. Different managers have different approaches to mentoring and training. Arteta, on the other hand, is every bit as excited as former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was quiet in the dugout.
He is the manager and his absence will be felt, which will be a disappointment. An engaged coach who is intertwined with every offensive play and actively involved in every defensive movement, If he had the ability, he would step on the field and physically move players.
Being tasked with hosting the reigning Premier League winners and current leaders of the league is a monumental undertaking in itself. The absence of Arteta on the sidelines will surely make that task substantially more difficult.
It was expected that a combination of Albert Stuivenberg and Steve Round would be in charge of directing the players on the field and communicating with the team’s management. ‘Airpod Albert’ was at the centre of attention.
There will be a communication plan in place, the same as Patrick Vieira has had in the last two matches due to the sickness he got, and even though the manager will not be present at the stadium, he is expected to be heavily involved in the team’s activities.
We wish Mikel the best of luck in his rehabilitation. We wish Arsenal the best of luck.
