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Arsenal fans slammed Mikel Arteta after star-man Bukayo Saka was forced to go off with an injury in the Champions League.
The Gunners winger was substituted off in the 34th minute of the group stage visit to Lens. The scores had been tied up at 1-1 after Gabriel Jesus' opener, assisted by Saka, was cancelled out by a clinical Adrien Thomasson finish.
Saka required treatment and appeared to have his left hamstring tested by the Arsenal physio. And the Gunners faithful were furious as they took to Twitter to question why manager Arteta decided to play him.
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One Twitter user wrote: "It's the third game in a row he's had to go off with injury. Pretty obvious that Saka needs a break at some point." And another put: "Someone Tell Arteta and his staff to protect players, no reason to start Saka today!"
A third raged: "Arteta is very stubborn. This will cost us one day," while a fourth added: "This was avoidable. He needed rest and now potentially missing the biggest game of the year."
Another furious fan tweeted: "STUPID to start him today," referencing the Manchester City fixture on Sunday. The fixture is considered a must-win if Arsenal are to beat City to the Premier League title this season, though it has not been confirmed yet whether Saka will miss the clash.
The injury blow comes after Saka was substituted off in Arsenal's two previous fixtures, hobbling off in the 4-0 win over Bournemouth and the 2-2 draw against Tottenham before that. The England winger has been an essential cog in Arteta's side since the Spaniard took charge in 2019.
He broke the record for consecutive Premier League matches played earlier this season, overtaking the record set by Arsenal legend Paul Merson. Fans of the north London side will be hoping Saka's 87-game streak will not come to an end when they need his services most.
- Arsenal FC
- Mikel Arteta
- Champions League
- Footballblog
- Manchester City FC
- Premier League
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