Mikel Arteta is considering using Declan Rice as a centre-back due to William Saliba’s injury, impacting Arsenal’s upcoming matches.
London: So, Mikel Arteta is thinking about switching things up a bit for Arsenal. With William Saliba out due to a hamstring injury, he might use Declan Rice as a centre-back. It’s a bit of a surprise move, but desperate times call for desperate measures, right?
Saliba missed the recent draw against Aston Villa and will also sit out the Champions League match against Dinamo Zagreb. The good news is he’s recovering and should be back for the big game against Manchester City soon.
Before that, Arsenal has a couple of matches lined up, including a trip to Wolves. With Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu also injured, Arteta is running low on centre-backs. So, Rice could step in.
Arteta mentioned that it’s been on his mind. He’s had Rice play various roles, but moving him to centre-back isn’t ideal. Still, he believes Rice can bring something different to the position, especially since they’re short on right-footed defenders.
Interestingly, Rice started as a centre-back at West Ham and even played there for Arsenal last season in a Champions League match. Last weekend, Arteta had to shuffle players around, moving Jurrien Timber to centre-back and putting Thomas Partey at full-back, which didn’t go too well.
Arsenal’s defence looked shaky, and they let a two-goal lead slip against Aston Villa. But Arteta is confident they’ll bounce back and is focused on the upcoming challenges.
He believes they need to control what they can and not dwell on feeling unlucky. It’s all about moving forward and making the necessary changes to get better results.
