Ahead of the second leg against PSV, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he looks forward to the day that he can call on the “exceptional” threat of Ben White, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Odegaard.
The trajectories of the three players signal some of the issues that have plagued the team this campaign. But a relaxed return to the quarter-final of the Champions Leagueought to be the outcome of this tie and Arteta explained where his head is at ahead of the last stretch of the season.
‘That connection was something exceptional’
With a six-goal advantage to hand, Arsenal afford themselves the right to rotate. There has been a boost on the injury front: Gabriel Martinelli made a return to the field in the second half of the trip to Old Trafford after his hamstring injury. To add to his presence, Arteta expects no new absentees.
“Everybody finished the game against Man United with no issues, so I expect the same players to be available and Gabby for sure will be available as well.”
Raheem Sterling stayed on the bench on the weekend: it illustrated again how his loan from Chelsea has been a failure. His manager made a diplomatic response to the questioning about his struggles.
“It’s the same with the rest of the players. In the end, we make decisions on the day about which player we believe fits better in the manner that the game is developing. He's come on in many of the games and didn't the other day, and that's it. I will decide [if he starts] tomorrow with him and the rest of them.”
Ben White will be eager to take the next step in his road to recovery. The 27-year-old underwent knee surgery in November and has been part of the matchday squad since the team's return from Dubai in the middle of last month. His role as an overlapping fullback adds another element to the attack.
“That connection that we had on the right side with him, Bukayo and Martin was something exceptional and a real threat in the team, we missed that. It’s true that Jurrien has been equally exceptional as well with his performance and consistent. Now we're going to have another option.”