A virus that hampered Arsenal’s preparations for their 3-1 win at Brentford has been revealed by Mike Arteta.
On the eve of the crucial Premier League game on Wednesday, several of Arsenal’s stars were hospitalized as a result of their illness.
German international Declan Rice was unable to start on the bench in the second half despite the fact that German forward Kai Havertz had the bug.
Before kick-off, Martin Odegaard reportedly struggled with the virus, and despite starting, the Arsenal captain made a mistake that caused Bryan Mbeumo to lose his opener and be replaced in the second half.
The Gunners, who ignored the illness outbreak and made it back to the top four, did a remarkable job at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Goals from Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Merino, and Gabriel Martinelli ensured Arsenal would not be derailed.
After second-placed Arsenal moved six points clear of leaders Liverpool with a game in hand, Arteta said, “It affected players both on and off the pitch”.
“It is nothing serious. But it wasn’t the ideal situation. In relation to the symptoms, with Kai it was obvious. He wasn’t feeling well at all. Stay away from it, put him in a car, and return to London because of his obvious symptoms.
” These things happen. In this period, there are always things thrown at you, infections, viruses, so I try to delay the line-up as late as possible because you can get up in the morning and unfortunately have a surprise like this. “
Arteta is optimistic that his team’s Saturday trip to Brighton will have the virus under control.
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