Mikel Arteta has spoken about how Arsenal's season was shaped by losing striker Gabriel Jesus to a devastating ACL injury.
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Arteta speaks to Men In Blazers podcastDiscusses Arsenal's seasonAdmits pain of Jesus injuryFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Speaking on the Men in Blazers podcast, Arteta explored his regrets over the 2024-25 campaign, saying that he wishes he had rotated Jesus more to prevent the Brazilian forward picking up a devastating ACL injury during the crucial winter period of the season.
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Asked what he would do differently, Arteta said: "It's very difficult now to understand that, if I could pause the game and say, Gabriel Jesus, we brought you back to life. You know, you are doing incredibly well. You're going to now get injured, so stop. I would stop him, bring another player in and continue to play the game. Unfortunately, we cannot do this in football."
Getty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Injuries to Jesus and other key forwards like Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka left the Gunners depleted up top for a key chunk of the season, and they struggled to score goals as a result. These absences ultimately allowed Liverpool to win the league at a canter, so you can see why Arteta regrets potentially overusing some of his attacking stars.
AFPWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?
Arteta's season now hinges entirely on their Champions League performance, with a huge semi-final second-leg fixture coming up against French champions PSG on Wednesday. The atmosphere in Paris is likely to be fierce, and all the pressure is on the visitors to get a result and reach their first Champions League final in nearly two decades.