28 October 2023 , 00:00
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Mikel Arteta wants Premier League squad sizes to be increased as his Arsenal side bit to extend their unbeaten start to the season against Sheffield United.
The Gunners have won six of their nine matches so far this campaign and picked up another impressive victory in midweek against Seville in the Champions League.
But that win came at a cost with Gabriel Jesus picking up a hamstring injury in Spain, while Thomas Partey has suffered another setback and could be out of action for over a month.
Summer signing Jurrien Timber remains a long-term absentee after knee surgery while Arteta has had to do without the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard at stages already this season.
And the Arsenal boss, who has criticised the football calendar in the past, feels the Premier League expanding squad sizes beyond the current limit of 25 could be the solution.
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“If we have more games, more competitiveness and physically the standards are higher – by playing more minutes – we have to do that or instead of five subs, we have 10,” he said.
“The five subs is now something normal but it was a big fight to go from three to five. I cannot imagine the game in the conditions we are in today after last year and the World Cup without five subs, it would be so difficult.
“If the calendar extends, for sure we would have to think of not dropping the quality. The only way to do it is players have to have certain availability and you need players to pick.
Gabriel Jesus picked up a muscle issue vs Sevilla (Getty Images)“When is this going to stop and how long will it take for us to make the right decisions? The laws will change and probably our capacity to do things during games will change as well. We will have to adapt, for sure.
“We will need more players. The players have a certain amount of energy. The battery lasts so long and we will burn them. We will need more players if that’s the case. We have to adapt.
“There are periods sometimes where you get really unlucky, and sometimes things that are really difficult to prevent. When you are loading players more and there are players who haven’t done it in the past that risk increases.
“We try to manage every single thing to control it, but there are things that are difficult to do and we have to accept that.” Martin Odegaard is available and, despite being substituted in the last two games, Arteta is backing his captain to come good.
Asked about recent criticism of Odegaard’s performances, Arteta said: “(It’s because) he’s an incredible player and he’s doing so much for us.
“He’s our captain. We expect him to step in all the time like with the other players, and this is great because that’s the role that he has. “We have developed him into that player, that person, and now it’s about maintaining and sustaining that level. That’s the challenge.”