Legendary England and Barcelona striker, Gary Lineker, has suggested that Mikel Arteta might be employing one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s most notorious strategies in Arsenal’s push for the Premier League crown.
The Gunners are currently favourites to clinch their first English top-flight title since 2004, holding a nine-point lead at the summit.
Yet Arteta appears determined not to take anything for granted, with a Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City prior to the international break serving as a timely reminder of the champions’ quality.
Pep Guardiola’s side still have a game in hand and will host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in three weeks, hoping to narrow the gap to at least three points.
Given the intensity of their season and the demanding schedule that lies ahead, it is perhaps unsurprising that numerous Arsenal players have withdrawn from international duty over the past week.
Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie confirmed on Sunday that they would return to London Colney early, bringing the total number of players to pull out to ten.
How many are genuinely injured remains unclear, though Lineker expects several to recover in time for Arsenal’s FA Cup clash against Southampton this weekend.
“Interestingly a couple of Arsenal players have pulled out of this squad now. Both Saka and Declan Rice have gone,” Lineker told his The Rest is Football podcast (via Metro).
“They joined people like Saliba and Gabriel and one or two other players. I think Arteta is playing a Sir Alex role here.”
Lineker was referencing Ferguson, who was known for subtly pressuring players, most famously Ryan Giggs, into missing international friendlies to protect his club’s interests.
“All managers have done that but generally it’s down to the players,” Lineker added.
“The manager would always pressure you to pull out of friendlies in particular. It happened to me a couple of times and on both occasions I said no chance.”
