Manager Mikel Arteta has called on the Premier League to expand match-day squads in line with Champions League rules to protect players’ mental health.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has sent a request to the Premier League to change the rules (Image: (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images))
Mikel Arteta has confessed that he is keen for changes to the Premier League rules regarding the number of Arsenal players who can be included in the match-day squad. Asked about leaving players like Christian Norgaard out, he said: “There are two or three players we have to take out of the squad at the moment, but that’s the reality and we can’t change that.”
“These are the rules for the Premier League next season. We will have 20 outfield players instead of 18. I ask you from here, just like in the Champions League, because it is much better to manage the team, maintain the value of the players and maintain the mental health of the players.”
“I don’t want anyone to leave the team, so I would ask if we could all work together. We could take them and arrange hotels and travel and things like that. That would be a huge help to everyone, because when you have to leave the team somewhere, that’s the worst thing.”
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“But in the end there are positions to play and I can play in different positions and I can’t weaken one position by overloading it. Usually that’s the decision-making process, because it’s never important. If it’s about how he trains, how he behaves, how he speaks, how he helps everyone, that needs to be done in every moment of every match.”
Norgaard played 89 minutes in Arsenal’s Champions League win over Kairat on Wednesday, just over a seventh of his total minutes this season.
Arteta later spoke at length about the mental aspect of not being selected. “Because we do a really unique job, which means we have the ability to change someone’s life or career, which is great. But every week I have to tell someone I’m not going to do that job tomorrow. I’m not even allowed to travel with the team.”
“So, give me a job doing that. You can’t just go into the kitchen tomorrow and say to two of the chefs, “I’m not going to cook today, either go out there and watch them cook, or go home. That’s really tough.”
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“So a guy who wants to feel like he’s a part of it needs to be there. He needs to travel, he needs to be there, he needs to feel like he has a chance. When you take away that opportunity, that player has to leave, because that player doesn’t feel like he’s good enough.”
“Because in the end your decision is clear. I will choose 20 more players before you. And I think this is what worries me. Why? Because the demands on the game are greater. So we need a bigger team.”
“So, in my opinion, it doesn’t make much sense to limit it. So I think we need to expand it and give everyone the possibility to participate in it. Then we can make the right choices regarding the game.”
“That way you can better manage the passage of time, the psychological, emotional moments and how you want to change the game. And I think that’s better for absolutely everyone. That’s my opinion.”
Mikel Arteta wants Champions League team regulations introduced in the Premier League (Image: PA)
As it stands, Premier League match-day squads can include 20 players, which have very different rules to those in Europe. Arteta can name up to 23 names, but there are several other provisions that allow him to list a number of additional names during the competition.
List A can contain up to 25 players, but, as UEFA states, List B can include more star players, provided that they are “born on or after 1 January 2004, are eligible to play for the club in question for two consecutive years, or for a total of three consecutive years, after their 15th birthday, with a maximum of one loan period of less than one year to a club from the same association.”
Arsenal have arguably the Premier League’s deepest squad, but that hasn’t stopped them from suffering injuries as their schedule continues to be relentless.
These concerns have waned for Arteta in recent days, with Max Dauman appearing to be the only absentee following encouraging updates on Julian Timber and William Saliba.
“Yeah, they’re fine, obviously they’ve played a lot of minutes and had some minor injuries, and for us it was a really good opportunity to take the load off them a little bit and refresh them,” Arteta said of the defensive pair, who missed the midweek win.
Kai Havertz completes his first start for Arsenal in almost a year unscathed (Image: Arsenal FC, Getty Images)
Arsenal are carefully caring for Kai Havertz, who suffers from a knee problem, and his game against Kairat was his first start in almost 12 months. The Germany international made an immediate impact in his 45-minute appearance, scoring a stunning goal and setting up Viktor Gökeres’ opener.
“Yeah, he’s ready. Obviously he started the day,” Arteta confirmed of his readiness, adding: “Obviously it’s been a long period and now we have to manage that load and the games he chooses to start and there hasn’t been a reaction to that.”
“I think it was very positive. You could see right away the impact he had on the team. Yeah, he’s ready.”
