October 27, (THEWILL) – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reassured fans about the condition of star centre-back Ben White, saying that the former Brighton man was substituted during Tuesday’s Carabao Cup triumph over Leeds United because he felt unwell.
On 55 minutes, the 24-year-old had to be substituted from the game, and his replacement, Calum Chambers, broke the tie seconds later. Eddie Nketiah sealed the Gunners’ 2-0 victory as they advanced to the competition’s quarter-finals.
Arteta expressed his joy at his team’s “very good performance” after the game, putting any concerns about White’s long-term absence to rest.
“A really good performance over a team where the manager in every action is so committed,” Arteta started.
“We understood the game and what we had to do, we did this the right way. They gave us some issues, they always do, but we created a lot of shots and situations without being very clinical, we adjusted a few things at half time and we were better and stronger.
“With Ben and with some others, he had a bug, so he wasn’t feeling great. I think something happened around here, he wasn’t feeling great in the second half and we decided to take him off.”
The Gunners’ boss was also quick to praise the players who came in on Tuesday to provide the regular starting some stiff opposition, encouraging them to keep Arsenal’s winning streak going.
“We had some strong individual performances. They deserved the opportunity and grabbed it. We have hunger and desire and players willing to work, we need to carry on with this run and win more matches.”
Martin Odegaard and Kieran Tierney, who both missed the match against Leeds in midweek, were also discussed by Arteta as the Spaniard expressed some optimism about their possible return for Arsenal’s weekend match against Leicester City.
“They are both out with two different injuries. They tried yesterday but they didn’t feel great. Hopefully in the next few days they can feel better and be available for Leicester.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
