Mikel Arteta has revealed Arsenal are investigating their pre-match warm-up routines after a spate of last-minute injuries forced four changes to the starting lineup this season. The Gunners boss admitted he would consider scrapping warm-ups entirely to address the issue.
William Saliba was the first to suffer, rolling his ankle in the warm-up before the defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in August and lasting only five minutes. Riccardo Calafiori has twice pulled out before kick-offs, including ahead of the FA Cup tie against Wigan, while Bukayo Saka limped out of the warm-up before the Leeds match last month.
Speaking ahead of the Wigan victory, Arteta said the frequency of such incidents was unusual. “It happened four times [this season]. Probably happened once or twice I think in six years that I’ve been here,” he said. “So obviously we are looking into it.”
The Spaniard admitted the problems have made him more alert, with any knock on his office door now causing concern. “When you change one player for another you have to change a lot of things within the game plan… you have two minutes to do that,” he said.
Arteta also raised the possibility of altering pre-match routines, even suggesting doing away with the warm-up entirely. “It's a really good area to have a look at what will happen if we don't do the warm-up,” he said, noting that players sit for 15 minutes at half-time before resuming full intensity.
