Mikel Arteta hits back at critics over Arsenal injury withdrawals during the international break

Arsenal were kicked from pillar to post over the past fortnight as eleven first-team players withdrew from their international camps because of injuries.

It drew the ire of rival fans and the media alike; another ‘dark art’ from Mikel Arteta to complement his satanic time-wasting and fiendish set-piece ploys. Others, naturally, saw it as an attempt by the Gunners to excuse some key names from involvement in pointless friendlies in a self-centred bid to boost their title charge.

But the boss dispelled such notions on Friday afternoon. Talking in his pre-FA Cup press conference, Arteta insisted that “when you are fit and available to play for the national team, you have to play”, before adding that the club are “always honest” when communicating the state of every player and make the best decisions for medical interests.

Of course, his words can easily be brushed off as lies – the boss is known for being media savvy and not giving much away – and one would always expect him to try paint both himself and the club in a positive light.

Mikel Arteta silences his critics with medical update in the pre-Southampton press conference

Yet, if taken at face value, then it seems the knocks suffered by Declan Rice, Piero Hincapie and Noni Madueke, among others, are indeed genuine rather than forming part of an elaborate scheme to get players out of the international firing line.

Past remarks also lend credence to the idea of Arteta being sincere here; before the PSG tie last April he highlighted the importance of regular minutes and explained why he would not rest players for a ‘dead rubber’ against Crystal Palace: “I think when the players are fit and available and want to play, they have to play… they are at their best when they are playing and they have consistency in their performances.”

Fans might prefer for the past fortnight to have been all one cynical act rather than a genuine injury crisis – who cares what rivals fans think? Teams have always played such ‘games’ and surely no one would dispute the idea that a Premier League title charge, 22 years in the making, is of far greater importance (and thus should be prioritised) than friendly matches against the likes of Uruguay or Japan or Colombia.

Nevertheless, the ‘fact’ that it all seems to have been genuine still feels like a nice riposte to all the critics who revel in smearing Arteta for next-to-no reason. It might not bode well for Arsenal, but it puts a pin in the outside hysteria for now.

Let’s hope for a few, miraculous recoveries in time for Lisbon.