Arsenal are currently suffering from an injury crisis, and there were further scares in their Champions League outing against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Mikel Arteta has expressed his concern over a potential injury to Riccardo Calafiori, who had to be withdrawn in the second half.
With William Saliba suspended for Arsenal’s upcoming clash with Liverpool, the last thing Arteta needed was more defensive issues, and fans feared that he may have had two more tonight, with Ben White also withdrawn at half time.
Arteta has now explained why he took White off, and his answer will provide some relief ahead of Sunday’s huge game.
Mikel Arteta explains decision to substitute Ben White vs Shakhtar Donetsk
Speaking after the game, Arteta revealed that White’s withdrawal was not injury related, but because of the yellow card he received early on.
“Ben it was my decision to take him out. He had a yellow and we had enough playing 10 men in the last period,” Arteta stated.
This comes after Arsenal’s defeat to Bournemouth saw them reduced to 10 men for the third time this season, with the Gunners failing to win any of those three games.
White was booked in the 34th minute for a fairly soft foul, and was withdrawn at half time as Mikel Merino came on, with Thomas Partey filling his space at right-back.
Mikel Arteta was right to substitute Ben White in Arsenal win
Arsenal’s win over Shakhtar was a low-intensity one, but it was not a comfortable one either. Had Arsenal gone down to 10 men, they may not have even secured the victory.
Another red card would have put extra pressure on the players against Shakhtar, and it was not worth the risk of keeping White on a yellow.
White has only just returned from injury, and Arsenal fans will be reassured that he will now be fully fit and sharp for the Liverpool clash, with other members of the back line injured.
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