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Sport Football Mikel Arteta responds to concern over Arsenal’s left side and reliance on Bukayo Saka The Gunners have struggled for output from the left side this season and found more joy scoring from set-pieces
Arsenal v Monaco: Arteta predicts bigger and better for Saka after Champions League Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
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Your support makes all the difference. Read more Mikel Arteta maintains Arsenal still have a threat from the left side of their attack despite calls to strengthen in January and reduce the burden on Bukayo Saka .
The Gunners swept Monaco aside 3-0 midweek after another magnificent performance from Saka to take a commanding position in the Champions League.
But former Arsenal Women star Karen Carney has urged the Gunners to sign a new forward, especially one who can operate out wide.
“Either left wing or centre-forward,” Carney told TNT Sports. “You can’t just have Bukayo [Saka] on his own. It’s either got to be a left-winger or that centre forward.
But Arteta played down any imbalance to his team, insisting there is a “threat” from the left side.
“We certainly have that,” Arteta said. “It’s never going be the same because they have different qualities.
open image in gallery
Gabriel Martinelli’s form has been mixed in 2024 (EPA) “We need to understand that we have different threats on all sides. If not we wouldn’t have scored the goals we did in the last few years.
“That [injuries] is something where we’ve had a lot of instability in recent years. Finding that stability and putting players who have that chemistry is very important.”
Arteta also discussed the potential for Gabriel Martinelli playing as a centre forward.
“He’s played a few times,” Arteta said. “I think Gabi is so good when he’s got the line in his back and he’s so comfortable on the left hand side.”
Carney highlighted how Liverpool had balance across their attack to topple Manchester City to win the Premier League title.
open image in gallery
Bukayo Saka scored twice in Arsenal’s 3-0 win against Monaco (PA Wire) “City were so dominant in the Premier League, and the only team to stop them was Liverpool,” she added. “They had [Sadio] Mane and [Mohamed] Salah.
“Seeing that balance, I wouldn’t mind trying a real solid left-winger. There’s a lot of teams who are going to be after that centre-forward.
“I think getting a balance on the left side, actually, might be an option for Arsenal.
“They’re one player away, for me. Literally one player away. You’re so close. Go and get them.”
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