Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is starting to get a bit of a reputation for withholding information around injuries, with his press conferences either offering nothing new or seemingly deliberately misleading those watching on.
Just this week, Arteta suggested Riccardo Calafiori might play against Liverpool, even though reports in Italy suggest he’s out for a few weeks.
The manager also said Bukayo Saka is ‘unlikely‘ to be fit to face Liverpool, but then the winger was with the squad ahead of the game on Saturday night.
If Calafiori is out against Liverpool and Saka is in, it’s hard to argue that Arteta was being entirely open and honest with his pre-match assessments.
But the Daily Mail report that that’s how he wants it, hoping for marginal gains from withholding information from opponents.
Whether that’s an effective strategy is another matter. Sami Mokbel reports that Premier League coaching staff at other clubs have told the Mail that they no longer pay any attention to Arteta’s updates, as they’re aware of his methods.
Rival clubs likely end up in the same camp as the rest of us, trying to figure out how serious an injury is using media reports, inside sources, and estimations based on similar injuries.
On that note, the Mail add that Saka has been running on the grass at London Colney since last week. With any luck, he might still make Sunday afternoon’s game.
