Mikel Arteta admitted that he regretted not being able to use Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber for most of the season.
Timber has been out since the first day of the campaign with a cruciate ligament injury. This news was particularly devastating for Arsenal because the Dutch international only arrived from Ajax in the summer for 40 million euros (£34 million).
Partey, on the other hand, has struggled with injuries for most of his time in north London, although this season has been particularly difficult. The Ghanaian has made just five appearances in the whole campaign and has played just 15 minutes since August due to a number of muscle injuries.
In recent games, Arsenal have struggled with a lack of strength, particularly in midfield and defensive positions, with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira also unavailable. Arteta revealed before the FA Cup third round match against Liverpool that this is a big problem for his players to overcome.
“It was a big blow,” the Spaniard said of Timber’s injury. “Everybody saw on the first day what it was going to bring to the team. Versatility, quality and leadership. And the ability we didn’t have in the back line. It was a big blow.
“The loss of Thomas was also a big blow. We had different plans with him too, to become very versatile and unpredictable in the way we play. We didn’t have those and that’s difficult. We have them in the building, which is a pleasure. But we didn’t have them on the pitch as much as we wanted.”
The duo have started just two games together – Arsenal’s Community Shield win against Manchester City and the opening Premier League game against Nottingham Forest. With Partey’s ability to play at right back as well as in defensive midfield and Timber’s skill throughout the back line, the plan was to use them to make Arsenal even more difficult for opponents to prepare for while keeping the team fresh.
However, Arsenal have suffered this season from apparent predictability. It will be looking to remedy that against Liverpool, where it wants to improve on a run of just one win in its last five games.
Unfortunately for Arsenal, it doesn’t look like Partey or Timber will be back any time soon. “Unfortunately it’s a very long-term injury,” Arteta said of Timber’s absence at the pre-match press conference. “He’s doing really well, but he’s far from being able to train with the team. This is something he has to compete with the team for. We don’t expect it any time soon. This is what we have. We will have to deal with the situation we have now that Tomi has to leave.”
Partey has not been included in Ghana’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations. Arteta revealed at a pre-match press conference that this is because he is still not training with the Arsenal first team.
“It was a case of common sense,” said the Spaniard. “He had a long-term injury. He tried to speed up his rehabilitation because he really wanted to be with the national team, but he is still a long way from training with the squad and it didn’t make sense for him to take part.”