Erik ten Hag clarifies why Arsenal have been luckier than Man United all season with a weird dig
On Wednesday night, Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, made a sly comment aimed towards Arsenal.
Currently, Arsenal holds the top spot in the Premier League, with a five-point lead over Manchester City, who are in second place, and a 16-point lead over United in third.
Ten Hag has now made an unusual statement, suggesting that Mikel Arteta’s team has not experienced many injury issues this season, in contrast to the Red Devils.
“Only in one game could I say, ok I can pick my team, also from a tactical approach, that was perfect,” the Dutchman said. “That was against Man City at home.
“And that was the only time in this season. In other times, in every game, it was one player suspended, one player is injured or [has] illness, so we have to deal with it well but of course you hope, like I see with Arsenal, that they almost have all the time their squad available.”
It is indeed perplexing that Ten Hag made such comments, given that they do not seem to align with the reality of Arsenal’s injury situation.
For instance, Arsenal’s key summer acquisition and starting forward Gabriel Martinelli had been out of action for almost four months due to a knee injury before making his comeback last weekend.
Additionally, Emile Smith Rowe, who was Arsenal’s top scorer in the previous season, has been struggling with injuries throughout the current season, undergoing surgery for a persistent groin issue as early as September 2022.
Furthermore, Thomas Partey, who is Arsenal’s primary defensive midfielder and widely considered one of their most critical players, was unable to participate in the recent top-of-the-table encounter against Manchester City due to an injury he had sustained.
He was also unavailable when Arsenal faced United at Old Trafford earlier in the season, which they ended up losing.
This suggests that Arsenal has indeed faced their share of injury issues, and Ten Hag’s comments may have been misguided.
Erik ten Hag clarifies why Arsenal have been luckier than Man United all season with a weird dig
