What Mikel Arteta said about Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus speaks volumes amid Arsenal injury crisis

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With an injury crisis in full swing once again at Arsenal, Mikel Arteta is facing the challenge of shuffling his team around in the weeks ahead.

The Gunners are dealing with a few absences in the forward line, leaving the squad looking especially thin for the upcoming Premier League matches.

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are expected to return in early March, leaving just a few players able to play out wide.

Centre-forward is another problem position at Arsenal, with Gabriel Jesus picking up an ACL injury, while Kai Havertz has a hamstring injury issue to contend with.

As uncertainty remains over the possible replacements, Mikel Arteta’s previous quotes on the squad’s ability to score goals come to mind.

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Mikel Arteta wanted goals shared around Arsenal before Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus injuries

Arsenal’s goal-scoring issues have been under the microscope in recent months, with focus placed especially on the striker options.

Both Havertz and Jesus are far from natural finishers, but they have chipped in with some important goals.

Their absence could be felt dearly in the coming weeks, but it harks back to an important demand Arteta once made of his team.

When asked about strikers struggling for goals in 2023, the Arsenal boss said: “I would prefer that those goals are shared because I think it’s more probable that this is going to be consistently maintainable and I think this is what we’ve done.

“The amount of goals that we’ve shared in the squad is really, really positive. We want more goals from our strikers, that’s for sure, and I think we’ve got them within the team.”

Arsenal managed to find more goals within the side last season, putting together an impressive scoring run to mount a title charge.

It was something he reiterated in January 2024, claiming: “We have to share goals, and we are responsible for everything.

“On set pieces, the goalkeeper is responsible, the striker is responsible and when there is a throw-in everybody is responsible for whatever happens with that throw-in.

“We have to share that responsibility, like we have always done.”

That will only be taken to the next level with both recognised centre-forwards now out of action.

It will require, even more than ever, everyone to chip in with some important goals when they matter most.

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Arsenal fixtures may help before injury returns

While it is far from ideal to have so many forward players out injured, the fixture schedule is starting to ease slightly.

There are three games in the Premier League before both Saka and Martinelli make their expected return to action.

Games against Leicester, West Ham and Nottingham Forest will provide a challenge in the time between, but may not be as tough or as crucial as the run could’ve been.

With Havertz out injured for the season, it comes as a slight blow, but there will be some hope of dragging through the upcoming fixture run.

If Arsenal can take nine points from a possible nine, before some players return to action, then it could shape up to be a strong end to the season.