Unai Emery insists he does not have to adapt his training methods despite Arsenal's mounting injury list heading into the festive period.
Shkodran Mustafi was the latest defender to pick up a knock when he limped out of Saturday’s 1-0 win over Huddersfield, joining Rob Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos on the sidelines.
The relatively minor muscular complaint for Mustafi might have come at a fortuitous time as both he and Sokratis Papastathopoulos are suspended for Sunday’s trip to Southampton after picking up their fifth yellow cards of the season. The German is not expected to miss Arsenal’s festive fixtures.
Mesut Ozil (back) and Aaron Ramsey (ankle) have also missed recent games with injury troubles but Emery insists his methods, noted for their intensity in comparison to his predecessor Arsene Wenger, are not causing additional problems.
Asked whether he could tweak his approach on the training ground, the Gunner boss said: "No. I don’t know if this is the reason. Big injuries like with Rob and Welbeck is…
“Then it is normal. We have played three matches.
In Pictures | Arsenal vs Huddersfield | 08/12/18
“Mustafi is ok. It’s only because he is feeling muscular [that he came off], but [it’s] not a break.”
Arsenal’s victory might have extended their unbeaten run to 21 but it was hardly as impressive as the results that preceded it - a 4-2 win over Tottenham and 2-2 draw at Manchester United.
The Gunners laboured against a disciplined, physical Huddersfield side and appeared to be losing their cool as they picked up four yellow cards in a tempestuous first-half.
Salvation came in the unlikely form of Lucas Torreira, whose acrobatic scissors kick secured victory in the 83rd minute.
Emery said of Arsenal’s performance: ”Each match is different. Each match is tough. The way to win is different.
“We know today was more difficult than last week. Why? Because the opposition were going to play with that slow rhythm. If we can score quickly we can start better in the game. Maybe it would have been more easy for us but it can happen like today.
“We need calm because we are looking for a win today to finish the week in a good position in the table. We finished like we wanted.”
