Arsenal put in a confident first-half performance against Paris Saint-Germain in Tuesday night’s Champions League clash, and Jurrien Timber was one of the players to impress.
The right-back won five of his six duels, completing 85% of his passes and his only attempted dribble. He also made an interception and two tackles without being dribbled past.
But just as Arsenal fans were singing his praises during the half-time break, Timber was preparing to be substituted.
Timber came off for Jakub Kiwior, with Riccardo Calafiori shifting across to right-back, and Mikel Arteta explained why after the match.
“He was unbelievable in the first half but he felt something muscular and he was uncertain and I didn’t want to take any risks,” Arteta said.
“He’s been out for a year, he’s played a lot of minutes, probably more minutes than we wanted in the last few weeks and we have to manage him.”
Had Ben White or Takehiro Tomiyasu been fit, you’d imagine they might’ve picked up some of the minutes that have instead been allocated to Timber.
But with White and Tomiyasu still absent from Tuesday’s squad, Arsenal can’t afford to take any risks with Timber.
The good news is that Arsenal only have one more game before the international break. If all goes well, all three players could be available for selection after the break.
