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Riccardo Calafiori was the latest player to be ejected from the starting line-up before kick-off, while William Saliba and Bukayo Saka have both suffered issues too
Mikel Arteta is looking into Arsenal’s warm-up routines ahead of their trip to Wolves after a spate of injuries.
Riccardo Calafiori was the latest player to be ejected from the starting line-up before kick-off against Wigan on Sunday and, in the Italian’s case, for the second time this season.
Both William Saliba and Bukayo Saka suffered issues ahead of games against Liverpool and Leeds United, and now Arteta has admitted to looking into the rare phenomenon.
“Yeah, big time,” said Arteta. “They were very different. The first one was with Willi [Saliba] when he rolled his ankle against Liverpool. Then we had two incidents with [Calafiori] in the warm-up in a really similar way, and the other one was with Bukayo, after he was rested on midweek and didn't play against Kairat, then against Leeds.
“It's very unusual. It probably happened once or twice, I think, in six years that I've been here. And it happened four times [this season]. So, obviously, we are looking out to it. On the Willi one, it's very difficult to see.
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“Sometimes, as well, you want to try and test a player before, to make sure that he's ready in the warm-up.
“It's another opportunity to do that, and Bukayo is very random because he never gave any symptoms or signals away that this could happen in the warm-up. That's what it is. We have to learn.”
Arteta joked that he has the fear that a member of staff might knock on his door pre-match to deliver the bad news of another problem.
“Yeah,” he said. “I can feel my body. I'm more aware of it. So, in the office, at the moment, I hear my door.
“And somebody is stepping in, and I'm like, No, please. [Laughs] Because it's a moment that is very tricky.
“Because when you change Ricky for Bukayo, you have to change a lot of things within the game plan. Position is a lot of things that are different. And you have two minutes to do that.
“So, yeah. It makes you a better coach because you have to be. What if? What if? And there are more and more what-ifs just before the game and then a lot during the game. So, you just need to be more prepared.”
Arteta is known for deploying some interesting tactics and phrases, such as describing his late substitutions as “finishers.”
When asked what the benefit of these warm-ups is, he hinted that he might need to come up with a new name for the pre-match routine, considering it encompasses far more than just increasing player internal temperature.
“Maybe we have to change the word,” he said. “To get warm? Hopefully, they are warm. To be ready, to be at their best mentally, physically. To be active, to be connected with teammates. That's what the warm-up is for.
“And to start to have the feeling and probably start to turn the body. And the game is coming. The adrenaline is going to start to pick up. The testosterone has to be in the right spots. And you're ready to compete.”
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