Mikel Arteta hits back at ‘lies’ over Arsenal’s postponement of the north London derby as he insists they ‘did NOT have players necessary to compete’… and admits there are still ‘issues’ ahead of Carabao Cup semi-final with Liverpool
- Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has defended the club’s request to delay Spurs clash
- Arteta insists they could not compete despite only having one Covid case
- He said there had been ‘lies’ spread of the postponement last week
- The Spaniard said there were ongoing issues that has affected his squad
- He said he was hopeful Carabao Cup semi-final with Liverpool could go ahead
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has issued a defiant response to critcism over the club’s request to postpone their North London Derby against Tottenham – insisting his side did not have the players to compete.
The Gunners were subject to scathing criticism after asking to push back the highly-anticipated clash was accepted by the Premier League – despite having only one Covid case in their squad at the time – with Arteta’s side affected by injuries, suspensions and players at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Many pundits have been critical of clubs who attempt to postpone games despite having enough players available, and Arsenal were in the firing line amid accusations the north Londoners had used the delay in order to avoid playing a crucial game without their best players.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has hit back at the ‘lies’ around the club’s decision to postpone their clash against Tottenham last week
He said the postponement was ‘for all the right reasons’ with Arsenal’s squad depleted
But Arteta furiously hit back in a staunch defence of the club, saying ‘lies’ had been spread and insisted the postponement was ‘for the right reasons’.
‘We will defend our club with teeth and nails,’ he said ahead of his side’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool. ‘We’re not going to get anybody damaging our name or trying to spread lies.
‘We didn’t have the players necessary to compete in a Premier League match. That is 100 per cent. We postponed the match for all the right reasons.’
More to follow.
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